


Far Away

by themoonrabbit



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, F/F, Inspired by InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, mostly fluff tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:55:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25905451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themoonrabbit/pseuds/themoonrabbit
Summary: Im Nayeon is a literature student who has been living in Kyoto since her childhood. On a stormy night, she sought for shelter in an ancient Japanese shrine, unaware that it would transport her back 500 years in the past. She meets Myoui Mina, a stoic samurai, and together they have to find out how to send Nayeon back to her own time.
Relationships: Im Nayeon/Myoui Mina
Comments: 24
Kudos: 122
Collections: Shot Thru the Heart: A Writing Collection





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> \- This story features characters heavily based on TWICE members, but please note that I am not trying to force anything upon them and this is purely fanfiction.  
> \- I am not Japanese, and therefore, do not have a thorough knowledge of Japanese history and mythology. I tried my best to do research, but please note that nothing that I write here should be taken as a fact. Consider this an alternate fantasy version of feudal Japan, only slightly based on reality and actual historical facts.  
> Credits: 
> 
> \- Rumiko Takahashi, author of Inuyasha, for being my main inspiration for this story.  
> \- Matthew Meyer, creator of the website yokai.com, where I did most of my research on the mythological japanese creatures.
> 
> Extra: 
> 
> I created a Spotify playlist with songs I think suit this story. Feel free to listen to it while reading: 
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1vimuPWIZIMeeix55fme6M?si=AgTE_Q6iQhK-ci3SDaEf3w
> 
> Thank you for reading :)

I never enjoyed carrying around umbrellas. Most of the time, I'd just rather get soaked in the rain. It's cathartic, in a certain way. Like the water is washing away all of your problems and breathing new life into you. 

That's why I never purchased an umbrella and let Kyoto pour on me whenever it desired.

However, tonight was the complete opposite of that. I found myself drenched to the bones, unable to predict an immense storm would set off a few minutes after I left the McDonalds close to my University.

"Shit, I should really make a mental note to get an umbrella after this," I muttered, my blurry vision only being able to make sense of the streetlights that passed me by as I ran, searching for shelter.

I came across a tall stone stairway, with statues of foxes adorning its edges. I was aware that it led to an ancient shrine and didn't think twice before ascending the steps. I couldn't be picky now, and anywhere with a roof sounded like a good idea.

There were multiple buildings, and due to my lack of knowledge about Japanese temples, I was unaware of the differences among them, so I went for the biggest one, which was right in front of me.

It was rather dark inside, but that was still better than being struck by multiple water bullets. All it took were a few footsteps until I tripped on some sort of fence and my body collided against a hard, cold surface. The last I heard was the sound of something breaking to pieces, followed by a ferocious thunder roar.

* * *

"Such a strange attire," whispered a soft, unfamiliar voice.

Is she talking about me? If there's one thing I'm proud of, it's my fashion sense. How rude.

"Her hair color also quite odd..."

Odd? The hairstylist said caramel brown suited my skin tone perfectly. This person has some nerve to insult it.

The feeling of unknown hands sliding through my locks prompted me to open my eyes. I was dazzled by the strong daylight until my pupils adjusted, and I could make out the face of a girl, kneeling by my side.

I saw onyx hair strands tied up in a high ponytail, that perfectly matched eyes of the same color, which were curiously looking down at me. Her features were pretty enough to almost make me forget about how this stranger was insulting me a few instants ago. Almost.

"Who are you?" I asked, using my hands to elevate my upper body, so my head stood as tall as hers.

"I should be the one asking you that," she replied, frowning at me. It looked like she was analyzing every inch of me. "You... you're not a foreign spy, are you?"

"Do I look like a spy to you?" I retorted, making sure my voice showed how annoyed I was getting.

"Yes, precisely... I've never seen clothes like this before, nor a hair color this bright," she answered. "Unless they're from a-,"

"Listen here, missy, I have no idea who you are, but I'm already sick of your insults," I interrupted her, glancing down at her outfit. A traditional Japanese attire, with a white kosode top and navy blue hakama bottom. "I'm sorry if I have a fashion sense, unlike you."

Sighing, I got up, finally making sense of my surroundings. I was still in that temple. Did I fall asleep here while I waited for the rain to stop?

"Where are you going?" The black-haired girl asked, getting up as well.

"That's none of your business," I answered, shrugging her off.

Setting foot out of the temple, I was greeted by warm sunlight that felt quite refreshing compared to last night's rainstorm. The lazy wind was scattering cherry blossom petals all around.

But as pleasant as the landscape looked, I had to get home as soon as possible. There were loads of late schoolwork piling up. 

My footsteps weren't the only I could hear as I walked down the stairway. Shooting a glare back at the obnoxious girl I just met, I asked, "Why are you following me?"

"I'm not following you," she replied in that annoyingly pretentious voice. "I'm simply making my way."

"Whatever," I grumbled, clenching my knuckles.

"You're careless," she calmly said, and I stopped moving. Not because of what she said, but because I couldn't believe my own eyes.

What I saw weren't the busy streets of Kyoto I had grown so used to. Instead, there was nothing but woods and a cobblestone pathway.

"You walk around recklessly when there's a war going on," the black-haired girl said, stopping to stand beside me.

"War?" I asked incredulously. "What are you talking about?"

"You really don't know?" She asked, seemingly puzzled. "I'm talking about the lords who are trying to take power away from our emperor. I'm surprised I have to explain that to you, though..."

"Huh? Yeah, that happened, but like, 500 years ago," I countered, frowning at her and reaching for my backpack so I could grab my phone.

On the moment I took it out of my bag, the girl hurried away from me, raising her hands to shield herself. "What's wrong with you?" I asked, extending my arm to show her the device. "Calm down, it's just my phone." 

"Keep that away from me!" She warned, unsheathing a katana and completely catching me off guard.

"YOU keep that thing away from me!!" I retorted, moving away from her. "Who even walks around with a sword? Is that even legal?!"

"I am a samurai, it's only natural I carry around my sword," she replied, as if it was obvious, and carefully putting the katana back into its sheath, but her gaze was still wary.

"D-Do samurais still exist in the 21st century?" I asked, my body beginning to tremble.

She looked at me with a strange look on her face. "It's the 15th century… I think you must have hit your head when you fell in that temple."

I tried absorbing what she said. It sounded impossible, but with all the strange circumstances, there was definitely something weird going on. 

The changing scenery, this girl walking around with a sword and getting scared at a cellphone. 

Did I travel back in time?!

"N-No... listen, you're mistaken," I responded, clinging to her sleeve's fabric. "It's the year 2020! I-I'm from that year... I shouldn't be here."

She stared at me silently for a minute, probably examining the information I laid down upon her, until she said, "I'm afraid that's not possible."

"I thought so too, but here I am," I looked at her pleadingly. "Please, you have to believe me."

"That would explain the... unusual clothes," she answered, seeming somewhat compelled. "And that wicked small box you're carrying around.

"It's just a cellphone! We use this to communicate with other people," I argued, rolling my eyes, then glancing at the screen of my phone, noticing there was no signal. "It's not even working here.

"Fascinating," she replied. "You can use that thing to speak to other people?"

"Yeah… do you believe me now?" I asked hopefully, unsure of why I was trusting this person.

She nodded, responding, "I'm left with no other choice but to believe you... as odd as your story is. What do you intend on doing now?"

"I… I don't know…" I replied, and before I knew it, tears started flowing down my face, as if reality finally hit me.

Everything as I once knew it was gone. I was separated from the most important people in my life and my dreams. All of that was crumbling down before me.

My legs started moving on its own, and I rushed back to the temple, dragging the girl with me, who didn't seem very pleased as she complained, "What do you think are you doing?!"

"The temple! It's the place where all of this started... it must also be the place where the answer lies."

I let go of her as we walked inside. Everything was clear and visible now, unlike the pitch darkness of last night. The first thing I noticed was broken pieces of what seemed to be an enormous statue.

"So that's what happened!" I exclaimed, the past events coming back to me.

"What do you mean?" She asked, watching me in confusion.

"Last night, I was still in my age... but there was heavy rain, and I came inside this temple for shelter," I began explaining. "The last thing I remember was bumping into something... this was probably it... I must have broken this statue."

"This is a sacred statue of the god Inari," the girl replied in an ominous voice. "Breaking it must be a bad omen."

"I-It was an accident," I weakly replied, but I couldn't help feeling ashamed.

I kneeled to touch a piece of the statue, but as soon as my hand came into contact, I felt an electric shock run through my body.

"Ouch!" I winced, quickly retracting my hand.

"What happened?" The girl asked me, bending down beside me.

"I don't know, when I touched this, it was like there was a spark of electricity," I responded.

"This statue is probably what transported you here," she remarked. "I just don't know how... but I do know someone who can help."

The girl stood up and extended her hand to me, a gesture that surprised me, so I smiled as she helped me get up, saying, "Really? Who?"

"The family of priests who have been taking care of this shrine ever since it was built," she replied, brushing away the dust from her clothes. "They're not home now, though, so we must return another time."

"We?" I asked, unable to help myself as my smile grew. "Does that mean you're willing to help me?"

The girl seemed to be caught off guard by my question, and her cheeks reddened a bit. "Since there's no other way around it," she replied, looking away grumpily, but I could tell it's because she felt embarrassed.

"Thank you," I firmly replied, letting her know how grateful I felt. "I guess we started from the wrong foot though, I never even got your name."

"I am Mina, from the samurai clan Myoui," she replied with a dignified air. "My family has been in charge of protecting our Emperor for generations now."

"Wow, so you're really a samurai?" I asked, impressed that such a young-looking girl was actually a warrior.

"Yes," Mina answered, disturbed by my surprise. "And you are...?"

"My name is Im Nayeon, and I'm, uh... a literature student," I replied. "Not as exciting as a samurai, but it has its perks."

"Nayeon? Such a strange name," she commented, and it looked like she was talking mostly to herself.

"Geez, do you really have to voice how you find everything about me strange?" I pouted, lightly hitting her arm. "Well, Mina... despite the circumstances, I'm glad I met you."

She smiled for the first time, and it made my heart skip a beat. It suited her better than the serious expression she had been wearing so far.

"We should go back to the castle, it's getting darker, which means the risk of danger is increasing," Mina said. "I'll explain that I found you unconscious and that you lost your memory... that way, no one will suspect your... manners."

I rolled my eyes when she was about to call me weird again, but let it slide. We walked together through the cobblestone path, and it turned out that the castle was quite close to the shrine.

Mina asked for me to wait a bit in the woods while she went inside to grab what were, according to her, appropriate clothes for me to wear. She returned quicker than I expected.

"Here, put these on," Mina said, handing out traditional Japanese garments.

"H-Here…?" I asked, blushing a bit at the thought of changing clothes in front of a stranger.

"Yes, where else?" She asked.

"Look away," I said, roughly taking the clothes from her hand.

"We're both females," she replied, staring at me with that usual perplexed expression.

"I _said_ , look away!" I repeated, more fiercely this time, aware of how red my face probably was.

Mina obeyed me this time, and when she turned away, I sighed and undressed, switching to the outfit she gave me as fast as I could.

"O-Okay, I'm done," I said, putting my clothes inside the backpack.

"These clothes suit you much more," she said, holding back a smile as she looked at me.

I blushed again, not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not. "Whatever," I said, crossing my arms. "Can we please go now? This forest is creeping me out."

"I hope you're not heavy," the Japanese girl said, confusing me. I only understood what she said when she picked me up from the floor.

"P-Put me down!" I protested, clinging onto her shoulder as my face grew redder.

"You're supposed to be unconscious, remember?" She replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Fine," I grumbled, stopping to move my body and acting like I was numb.

"You're supposed to look unconscious, not dead," she argued.

"You're too picky!" I complained, feeling even more embarrassed.

"Just cover your face, so they won't see how much of a poor actress you are," she told me, and I could swear she was holding back a smile.

I lightly punched her shoulder but did as she said, hiding my face in the same place I just hit. 

Somehow, her warmth and the sweet scent she had made me feel safe. There wasn't any logic behind that, as I barely knew Mina, but something told me I could trust her.


	2. Chapter 2

On my first night in the 15th century, I woke up countless times, and every time I went back to sleep, I wished I could be freed from this nightmare. But it never happened, and I always rose in this unfamiliar place again. 

I missed the warmth of my bed, the messy desk full of stick-it notes in my room, and staying up until late texting my best friend. The people were what I missed the most, and the thought I could never see them again haunted me all the time.

There was a knock on the door, and a few instants later, Mina and a shorter girl came inside. She had long dark hair, and her kimono was more embellished than Mina's simple hakama.

"So this is the girl you were talking about?" She asked, seeming excited and smiling brightly at me. "You never told me she was this pretty, Mina!"

"Hm, you think she's pretty?" Mina replied, seeming disinterested. I've known her for no more than hours, and she was already starting to get on my nerves.

"I  _ know _ I'm pretty," I replied snarkily, swinging away the bed sheet and getting up. "I don't need your validation."

"I like you already," the other girl said, and the feeling was mutual because she was a lot more pleasant than Mina. "My name is Yabuki Nako, nice to meet you!"

"It's good to meet you too. My name is Nayeon," I smiled at her and replied. "What brings you here?"

"How come you can remember your name if you lost your memory?" Nako asked curiously, seeming interested.

I blushed, not having thought about that before, and replied, "O-Oh, I lost only a part of my memory... I can still remember stuff from my childhood, including my name."

"Nako is the imperial princess," Mina replied monotonously. "She found out that I brought a girl with memory loss to the castle and became curious to meet you."

"P-Princess? Oh my god, I've been so rude," I said, immediately bowing to Nako. "I'm sorry, Your Highness. It's an honor to meet you!"

"Why'd you tell her that? It was much more fun when she didn't know who I was," Nako pouted. 

"There's no point in hiding who you are, Your Highness," Mina shrugged and then turned to me.

"I told you not to call me that," Nako continued sulking, crossing her arms.

"As your retainer, it's the only way I can refer to you," Mina simply replied before turning to face me. "Get ready, we'll be having breakfast soon." 

"Can I have breakfast with you?" Nako asked, clinging to Mina's sleeve. Surprisingly, her features softened, and she smiled at the younger girl, patting her head. 

"I'm sorry, but you know you need to have breakfast with the royal family," she replied, sounding apologetic. "You should be going now, you know how they get when you're late."

"Aw... okay, I guess," Nako replied desolated, giving Mina a quick hug and waving goodbye at me before leaving the room. "It was nice to meet you, Nayeon! I hope we can talk more later!"

* * *

The elegant beauty of the castle's garden made me glad that my phone still had a bit of battery left to take pictures of it. Mina, of course, was terrified when the phone camera's flashed, and I couldn't help laughing at how a samurai was afraid of such a harmless device.

I could only hope I'd be able to see the pictures again when I return to the 21st century and plug it in a charger. But today, we would hopefully be close to finding some clues about what happened.

"I hope this family of priests will be there this time," I nervously said, as we walked underneath the seasonal cherry blossoms, approaching the same cobblestone path from yesterday.

I stepped on a stone that seemed out of place. It was different from the cobblestones, but the most shocking thing was that it made a small yelping sound when I touched it. 

"Is it just me or did this rock just-," I started saying, stopping when it moved on its own, and I screamed, clasping on Mina's sleeve. "WHY IS THIS THING MOVING AND MAKING SOUNDS?!" 

I grabbed a nearby tree stick and began hitting it repeatedly. After a few strikes, the rock surrounded itself in smoke and transformed into a bipedal raccoon-like creature.

"That's Bunta," Mina explained, seeming unimpressed and grabbing him by the fur. "He's a tanuki... one who's always trying to invade the castle to steal food and liquor."

"Get your hands away from me, human!" He screeched, trying to untangle himself from Mina's grasp. Unable to do so by strength, there was another smokescreen, and he changed into a balloon, managing to escape by flying away.

"T-Tanukis aren't supposed to speak... or transform themselves into other things," I argued, still shocked by what happened.

"What do you mean?" Mina asked, turning to face me. "Of course they do, they always have... that's what they're known for."

"Not in my time!" I responded. "Tanukis that can transform and speak are only present in folklore about yokai." 

"Folklore? Yokai are very much a real thing here," she said, as we continued moving. "That's why we must always be careful. Many of these monsters love pranking humans... others are much more dangerous and can seriously harm you."

I remember reading about yokai when I first came to Japan. Supernatural creatures that are present in ancient mythology. I could never have imagined they were actually real.

"They don't seem to exist anymore in the future, though," I said pensively. "I wonder what happened to them."

Mina seemed lost in thought until she whispered, "Your world sounds very strange."

"I could say the same about yours," I replied, and we both stayed silent until arriving on the shrine.

I noticed a small red fox on the top of the temple's roof. It seemed to be taking a nap before, but once we approached the place, it awoke and observed us. 

As we entered, there was a girl with black hair, straight bangs in a hime cut, and a traditional priestess outfit, which consisted of red hakama with a white kosode.

She was kneeling next to the statue pieces and seemed troubled. Guilt struck me when I realized it was my fault. The girl turned around when she heard footsteps.

"Mina... what are you doing here?" She questioned, before sighing. "I'm kind of busy right now. Some vandal barged inside the temple and destroyed the sacred statue."

I could feel my face burning in shame, as Mina put her hand on my shoulder and said, "Ah, about said vandal... this girl is the one responsible for it."

"T-The way you say it makes it sound like I did it on purpose!" I argued embarrassedly.

"What?!" The priestess exclaimed, turning to face me instead." Do you have any idea of how serious of an offense this is?"

"I d-didn't do it on purpose!" I defended myself, grabbing Mina's wrist. "Explain it to her!"

"It's a dubious story, but bear with me, Momo," Mina began saying, and I rolled her eyes when she said 'dubious.' "Yesterday morning, I came to see you, but you weren't home, and instead, I found this girl unconscious."

"We were out of town," the girl, apparently named Momo, explained. "What was she doing here?"

"Here comes the dubious part," Mina wearily said. "She's from the future... according to her, she came inside this same temple for shelter from a storm, and accidentally bumped into the sacred statue. When she woke up, she was here."

Momo didn't say a word for a while, analyzing the situation. She then glanced at me, speaking, "I think you're probably cursed... breaking a sacred object, even if accidentally, is an offense to the goddess."

I tried not to panic, but that was practically impossible at this point, and I could feel tears threatening to pour. 

"Isn't there anything we can do to help her?" Mina asked, glancing in my direction.

"We'll prepare a ritual to speak with the goddess, Inari," said the voice of an elderly woman who just entered the temple. She wore the same outfit as Momo but was shorter, and her hair was already white.

"Grandmother, you were listening?" Momo asked as the old lady approached us. 

She nodded and replied, "Can you sense it too, Momo? This child doesn't have a sinister aura around her, I think we can trust her when she said it was an accident."

Momo glanced at me and replied, "I did... in fact, I can sense an unusually strong spiritual energy in her."

Utterly oblivious to what they were referring to, I timidly said, "Does that mean you'll be able to help me?"

"Yes, child, we will do whatever we can," Momo's grandmother said, making me feel more relieved. "It'll take a day to prepare the ritual, so you two should return tomorrow, at this time."

"Thank you, I  _ really _ appreciate this," I firmly said, approaching her and taking her hands into mine.

* * *

Anxiety took over me as I would have to wait an entire day to have some answers about how I could return to my time. Mina said she would practice sword fighting and let me watched her without complaining. An improvement, I guess.

Although I did not know the subject, I had to admit that she seemed quite skilled at it. It was hard not to admire her swift movements. Mina looked so graceful, twirling that wooden practice sword, that it almost seemed like she was dancing.

"She's pretty cool, right?" Asked Nako, who I didn't notice was already sitting down by my side.

"Your Highness, I didn't even see you!" I exclaimed surprised. 

Nako rolled her eyes and said, "Please don't call me that, I hate it. Since you have memory loss, please at least  _ pretend _ you forgot your manners."

I couldn't help but giggle at her and replied, "All right, for your sake, I can do that, Nako."

"Yes! You're much nicer than Mina, she would never agree on that," Nako laughed. 

"You seem pretty close to Mina though," I replied.

"We are close. I grew up with her as my retainer, so she's almost like an older sister to me," Nako explained. "She may seem pretty strict... well, she  _ is _ . But she's also kind and caring. I hope you don't misunderstand her ways."

The fond way Nako spoke of Mina touched me. And I believed her because even despite her blunt nature, the samurai girl was doing her best to help me even though we were strangers.

"Your Highness!" Mina exclaimed once she noticed Nako was around, moving towards us. "Aren't you supposed to be having lessons now?"

"I take back every single good thing I said about her," Nako replied, pouting at the older girl. "I gotta go; otherwise, she'll force me to return to my lessons! Bye!" Nako added before running off. 

"That girl is such a handful sometimes," Mina grumbled, wiping off her forehead's sweat, and I giggled.

"I think she seems a bit lonely... she's probably full of obligations and has little time for herself," I commented. 

"It's only natural that the imperial princess has such responsibilities," Mina replied, seeming lost in thought. "When you're born, your role is already decided for you. She is a princess, and I am a samurai. My duty is to guarantee the safeness of the future empress." 

"I think that kind of logic is nonsense though," I debated, and she immediately glanced at me, surprised. "You should be the one to decide your own future. No one should choose your life for you. Don't you think so?"

She stared at me silently, her eyes slightly widened, before she finally responded, "I never thought about that... ever since I was born, the one thing I knew is that I would grow up to continue meeting my family's obligations. A different fate is unimaginable."

I smiled sadly at her. It was hard for me to imagine living without being able to make your own decisions. "Perhaps you should give it some thought then," I said.

"I'm afraid that's not possible. Thinking about it won't change my fate," she replied. "I also don't know if I would want to change it. I'm proud of who I am. This might be something you won't be able to understand, but everyone in society has a role to fulfill, and I'm happy to do mine."

I wondered if she was actually happy, or if she just accepted that this is all that life has to offer her because she can't imagine another reality. But I decided I shouldn't push her about this anymore. At least not now. 

Suddenly grabbing her arm, I lightly spoke, "C'mon, you haven't shown me around the castle yet." 

"W-What?" She seemed surprised by my actions, and her face grew slightly redder. "I have to practice."

"If I'm stuck in the 15th century, I might as well experience it fully!" I explained, dragging her. "And you, Mina, happened to be stuck as my guide."


	3. Chapter 3

The patterns of the cobblestone path were already beginning to look familiar to me. That didn't change the fact that I was still terribly homesick. But this morning, if all goes well, I will finally discover how I can go back to the 21st century. 

I noticed the same fox from yesterday, standing out even though it's fur was as red as the roof tiles. It smiled at me, hopping down, and I blinked my eyes twice in disbelief, wondering if it was my imagination.

The small animal followed us inside the temple and jumped on Momo's shoulder. Neither she nor Mina seemed surprised by that, so I assumed that it was a domesticated fox (or something like that).

"Good morning," I said, my voice still a bit rough from just waking up. 

"Welcome, everything is ready," Momo replied, scratching the fox's chin. She guided us to a trap door on the corner of the room. It was already open, so we walked down the stairs. 

There was an altar with two fox statues, each placed on the extremes of the surface. However, the most eye-catching thing was another living fox, who sat down beside Momo's grandmother, both in front of the altar. It had white fur and was far larger than the one who came with us.

"We'll begin now, Tsura," the elder woman announced, and I looked around to see if there was another person in the room. Instead, the white fox nodded and breathed out a fire that had a vivid blue color, igniting charcoals that were on the center of the altar.

I slowly placed my hand over my mouth as I felt my body freeze. Mina probably noticed my reaction, because she whispered to me, "That's a kitsune... some of them, like Tsura, are servants of Inari and act as messengers between the goddess and us."

Soon enough, the figure of a human was beginning to form within the flames. It was a woman with pale skin, sharp eyes, and pointy ears. She also had markings in the form of slits on both sides of her cheeks. 

"For what reason have I been summoned, Tsura?" She asked in a solemn voice that echoed like a choir of angels. 

The white fox bowed in respect, replying, "It's an honor to be in your presence, Itsuya. There has been an accident with a human. This girl unwillingly destroyed the sacred statue that guards this shrine. Ever since that, she has been transported here from the future."

The woman suddenly glanced at me, and I felt chills down my spine. She had a very intimidating atmosphere, and I didn't even dare say anything, knowing that I ruined a holy image.

"The sacred statue is responsible for the protection of the shrine. It is embedded with magic from Inari herself," she stated and, knowing that the statue was  _ this _ important made me feel even worse. "Human, you must understand how serious of an offense that is. I will allow you to explain yourself."

My body was starting to shiver, but I tried my best not to let it show. I kneeled in respect, and as soon as my voice returned, I spoke, "I am deeply sorry about what happened. I-I... there was a rainstorm, and the temple was the closest place for shelter, s-so I entered... but it was dark, and I didn't see the statue and ended up collapsing against i-it."

"She speaks the truth, Itsuya... I can sense the sincerity in her aura," Tsura replied, making me feel slightly relieved."

"It's not the first time this has happened to a human. Some did it with malice — others, without intention. You were transported specifically to this time because it's the era the shrine, along with the statue, was created," Itsuya continued explaining, her calm voice unchanging. "To amend your transgression with Inari and return to your time, you will have to restore the statue."

I breathed a bit more relaxed after hearing that. So there was a way for me to go back to my old life. All I'll have to do is fix the statue. But how?

As if reading my mind, she said, "It's not a task for anyone. To be more specific, the only one who can do it is the original creator of the statue."

"This shrine's statue was crafted by Ryoma, the void fox, around 50 years ago," Tsura spoke, glimpsing at me. "He's the one who entrusted me with the safekeeping of this place, along with the Hirai family."

"Indeed," Momo's grandmother suddenly said, her brows furrowed, "It's been 25 years since anyone has last seen Ryoma. After a certain incident, he left this town and is now said to be wandering around Japan."

"How am I supposed to find him t-then?" I asked, anxiously clutching the fabric of my clothes. The thought of searching for a holy fox around Japan when there isn't even modern transportation was driving me crazy. 

"Truthfully, he has never surfaced again in the celestial realm ever since the incident. There have been reports that he was last seen by one of our kind in Ōtsu a few months ago," informed Itsuya. "I'm afraid this is all I can help you with. I'll be taking my leave now. Farewell," the woman made a swaying motion with her arm and disappeared along with the blue fire.

Almost instantly afterward, the small fox from Momo's shoulder jumped off and became shrouded in a shimmering yellow light, reappearing as a young girl. Her features were quite beautiful: large eyes with golden orbs, a pointy nose, and pink lips that here curved into a friendly smile. The thing that stood out the most was her bright red hair and wiggly fox ears of the same color. She was wearing a colorful kosode with flower patterns and a maroon hakama.

I felt like I should be getting used to this, but I wasn't in the slightest, and my eyes were widened by the scene I just witnessed. That cute little fox was a girl all along? 

"If you're going after my father, I'd like to come along!" She said in a friendly tone, extending her hand to me. "I'm Minatozaki Sana! Nice to meet you!"

"N-Nice to meet you too," I replied, my trembling hand shaking hers. "Your father?"

"Mmhmm," she replied, and her voice was unwaveringly cheerful. "Although I never properly met him, which is why I wanna go with you."

"Perfect, you and Momo will go with Nayeon, then," Mina suddenly said, and I immediately glanced at her.

"Me? What do I have to do with this?" Momo replied, crossing her arms and frowning. "I'm full of work to do here." 

"They'll need a priestess to ward off evil yokai, Momo," her grandmother argued. "Don't worry about the shrine, I'll take care of it."

"Wait, does that mean you're not going with me?" I asked Mina, unable to hide the sadness in my voice.

Mina sighed, not being able to look at me when she replied, "I can't… I have duties with the princess and the royal family… I can't just abandon my post."

I didn't even know why this disappointed me so much. But Mina was the first person I bonded with here, and I was under the impression she would help me all the way through. I already considered her a friend, but she probably only saw me as a stranger.

"I am sorry," she said, and I could feel the sincerity in her voice. 

"It can't be helped," I replied, forcing a smile at her.

"That won't be a problem!" Said a voice I recognized to be Nako's. She was looking at us from the top of the hatch door and came running down the stairs. "I wanna come too! That way, you'll have no option but to accompany me, right?"

"Your Highness?!" Mina exclaimed, shocked. "What are you doing here? Were you just eavesdropping at us? Your tutor won't be happy at all about that..."

"It's too easy to trick that old goat," Nako countered, seeming proud of escaping him so often. "I saw you two leaving, and I couldn't help to follow."

Mina gave her a look, saying, "Watch your mouth, princess. You shouldn't be talking about instructors that way. Besides, there's no way you can go with us... it's too dangerous."

"It's not dangerous if you're around!" Nako exclaimed, pleadingly clutching to Mina's sleeves. " _ Please _ , big sis?"

"No," Mina firmly replied, her voice resolute. "When will you learn you're the princess? You can't simply go out on adventures just because you want to. You'd be an instant target."

"Don't call me princess," Nako angrily whispered, on the brim of tears.

I put my hand on her shoulder to console her. "Mina's saying this because she loves you, and so she doesn't want you to get hurt." 

The samurai's cheeks reddened, and I figured it was because she's not used to her feelings being laid down so obviously.

"I'm just tired of staying in the castle all the time," Nako sadly exclaimed, and my heart ached for her. 

Mina also seemed sincerely touched, and she sighed. "I know you're frustrated... but this will be a dangerous venture. I can't risk having you go through that."

The young princess seemed to understand Mina's point, and she nodded. "Do you promise you'll take me on another trip one day, then?"

"Of course I do," Mina replied, patting her head and smiling. "I promise."

With her spirits seemingly lifted, Nako smiled and said, "I still think you should go with Nayeon, though. She needs you more than I do right now."

Nako's wording made me blush, and I waved my hands dismissively. "Ah, don't get the wrong idea, I'm sure I can do this without her," I said stubbornly.

Seeming unimpressed, Mina crossed her arms and gave me a look. "I was about to agree, but if you insist, I guess I won't go after all." 

Momo's grandmother sighed. "Well, I'll let you youngsters settle things," she tiredly said, walking up the staircase with Tsura following closely behind.

"Just quit this idiotic argument, you two," Momo intervened. "Mina, you're coming with us. Nayeon, you won't complain about that. Got it?"

Mina pouted, looking away from me and mumbling, "Fine..." 

"If it's the only way, I guess," I replied, pretending to be indifferent, but in reality, I was delighted that Mina would join us. 


	4. Chapter 4

We were a few minutes away from leaving the castle to begin searching for the void fox Ryoma. I wasn't even sure what that meant. And why did he leave Sana behind to wander Japan aimlessly?

I looked through my belongings inside my backpack, confirming that everything was there, and my hand came across my small flask of perfume that I always carry around. I sprayed some on my neck and wrists, trying to find a connection with my time and with what was considered normal to me. 

There was a knock on the door, and a few instants later Mina entered, wearing her usual ponytail. 

"What are you doing?" She curiously asked, observing the object in my hand.

"Oh, just applying some perfume!" I explained, putting it back inside my bag and walking closer to her.

"So that's why you had such a... strong smell," Mina commented, delicately scenting the air. Her face seemed a bit rosy, but it could have been my impression.

"It smells nice, right?" I smiled, placing my wrist near her nose. 

Her cheeks were definitely red now, and she replied, "That's not what I said." 

"Ugh, why did I have to get stuck with you out of all people?" I complained, tired of Mina's nerve, and making a mental note to apply perfume every day to irritate her.

"Come, Momo and Sana are waiting for us," Mina said, prompting us to leave the room. "We don't want to make Momo wait. She's a feisty one."

* * *

We arrived on the town gate, and Momo was leaning on a huge red fox. It was probably as big as an elephant, and there were two large bags tied to its back, one of them with a couple of fishing rods protruding. 

"I-Is that Sana?!" I whispered to Mina as we approached them.

"Yes," Mina replied in a whisper, moving her head a bit closer to mine so I could hear her. The sudden proximity made me agitated, and I gulped. "That's one of her fox forms, although she usually prefers the small one. But I have to admit this form will be useful."

"What do you mean with useful?" I asked, a bit puzzled. 

"We're mounting her," Mina answered. "If we go on foot, it'll take too long."

"W-What?" I exclaimed, louder than intended. "Isn't it weird to ride on your friend?"

"Not if your friend can transform into a giant fox," Mina weighed, shrugging. 

"Hi, you two!" Sana exclaimed, and it felt bizarre to listen to her bubbly voice come out of a gigantic fox. "You're just on time!"

"They are five minutes late," Momo grumbled, narrowing her eyes at us. 

"Please forgive us, Momo!" I said, clasping my hands together apologetically. "We would have arrived earlier if Mina wasn't annoying me!"

"She's the one who took ages to get ready," Mina retorted. 

"I see you two are getting along as usual," Sana commented, wagging her tail.

"We're not!" Mina and I said in unison, and I glanced at her surprisingly. 

"See? You're even synchronized!" Sana exclaimed, laughing, before kneeling her body so we could get on top. "Let's go now."

Momo expertly mounted the fox, probably used to this already. She sat on the front, while Mina followed behind, and I just stared at them, unsure of what to do. How am I even supposed to climb on her?

Mina extended her hand to me, catching me by surprise. "Here, I'll help you," she said. I took grasp of her hand, and she firmly clutched it, helping me up.

Her words were normally quite aloof, but her actions always showed the opposite. She was a mystery to me. I wonder why she seemed so unwilling to show her genuine emotions. Perhaps because of her samurai upbringing?

"Thank you," I said, a bit shyly, as I made myself comfortable behind her.

"Don't mention it," she replied, looking away.

Momo patted Sana's neck a few times and said, "Alright, we can go now."

"Hold on tight," the kitsune said before departing, suddenly beginning to run. 

The ride was so bumpy that my first impulse was to cling onto the first thing I saw quickly. That happened to be Mina's back, and before I realized it, I was holding on tightly to her. 

She didn't say a word, and all I could hear were Sana's rapid footsteps against the ground and the intense pounding of my heart. My face was burning red. 

I didn't understand why I was feeling this way, but I brushed it off as the sudden burst of adrenaline from riding a giant fox.

* * *

When it was starting to get dark, we decided to stop by a riverbank. The atmosphere was quite relaxing, and it reminded me of when I used to go camping with my parents. 

We used to set up the tent together, and when the night came, we'd roast marshmallows by the bonfire, laughing with each other. This time the circumstances were completely different.

The thought of them pained me, imagining how desperate they were about their daughter who disappeared without leaving a trace. I missed them dearly.

I was so distracted that I didn't even notice that Sana had transformed back into her human form and left to gather some wood so we could make fire. 

"I'm going fishing," Mina suddenly said, grabbing one of the rods inside the bag and going to the river.

"Why is she always like that?" I murmured to myself as I observed the samurai distance herself from us. 

"What do you mean?" Momo curiously asked, picking up on what I said.

"Oh," I said, not expecting her to have listened. "It's just that... I don't know, she always seems so detached from everything."

Momo sat against a tree and sighed. "I've known Mina since we were kids... she used to be a cheerful one. Always running around and helping people. "

It was surprising, but I could imagine that. The thought was endearing, and it seemed like Mina still kept the same helpful spirit from before. She could be a bit grumpy, but I don't know what I'd be doing now if I hadn't met her here.

"But life wasn't easy on her. It isn't easy on anyone when wars are happening," Momo continued speaking. "But having grown up in a samurai family made it especially hard for her. It all got worst after..."

"After what?" I asked, growing tense with Momo's gloominess. 

"A few years ago... the capital was attacked, and her mother was killed," Momo explained with a heavy voice. "Mina was never the same... she was so attached to her. Her father was always strict, so Mina would find comfort in her kindhearted mother."

"I-I... I never imagined that," I spoke after finding my voice, horrified. "I must have been so difficult for her."

Knowing more about Mina's past made me understand her more. It sounded like she lost her only anchor in the unrelenting world she lived in. Somehow, I wanted to try helping her. 

Without giving it much of a second thought, I suddenly said, "I think I'm going to help her with fishing." 

I took the spare fishing rod from the bag and walked towards the lake. Of course, my goal wasn't just to help her catch fishes... I just wanted to try getting closer to her. Even though my time with her was limited, I had to try doing something for her too.

"Need any help?" I asked, smiling brightly at her. 

She seemed surprised with my presence, raising her eyebrows. "Well, I don't  _ need _ any help," she answered, smirking at me. "Suit yourself though."

"I will," I replied, standing beside her and tossing the hook inside of the water, staring as it began to ripple.

Mina started laughing, and I looked at her, surprised. It was the first time I heard her laughter. It exposed her gums and sounded rather cute and refreshing.

"What is so funny?" I asked, unable to help myself from grinning too.

"You forgot to put bait on the hook," she explained, shaking her head at me, but the smile on her lips told me she was amused. 

"Oh," I said, feeling my cheeks heating up in embarrassment. 

"Do you even know how to fish?" Mina questioned. 

"I used to go fishing with my father when I was a child," I responded. "But in the future, our fishing rods are so modern that we don't need bait! That's why I forgot," I lied, trying to defend myself. Mina wouldn't know about it anyway.

"Is that so? Well, here we use bait," she replied, moving closer to me and putting her hand on top of mine to pull the hook back from the water. Her touch caused a strange sensation in my stomach, but I ignored it. She then kneeled to the ground and seemed to attach something to the hook of my rod.

"There, I put some bait," she explained, washing her hands in the river before getting up. "You can try again now."

"Okay," I responded, still a little nervous. "Thank you." 

I threw the hook inside the water again, hoping I wouldn't make a fool of myself this time. Mina did the same thing with her rod, and for a while, we just observed the water.

"Was something supposed to have happened by now?" I asked, feeling bothered after a few minutes passed.

"You know what they say about fishing," Mina answered. "It takes patience."

I sighed, and when I was about to relax, I felt a tremendous force tugging me towards the lake, so I stepped hardly against the ground, trying to overpower it.

"Whoa, it seems like I caught something big!" I exclaimed, struggling to pull the line back. 

Mina dropped her rod and grasped tightly to mine, trying to help me pull the fish to the surface. We walked backwards together, but suddenly, the other girl fell to the ground with me on top of her. 

Both of us sat on the ground in that awkward position, with her behind me. It left me completely embarrassed. 

"You okay?" I timidly asked. 

"Look at that!" Mina said, and her voice speaking directly into my ears sent shivers down my spine. Her arm pointed to the huge fish twitching its body on the ground in front of us, but I could barely pay any attention.

What was happening to me? 

"That's a rainbow trout," Mina said, sounding impressed as she got up. "It should be enough to feed all of us."

She extended her hand to help me stand, and I finally observed the fish properly. It was colorful one, much bigger than what I was expecting to catch. 

"Wow... and you said you didn't need my help," I smugly remarked, smiling at the other girl who rolled her eyes at me.

"I'm the one who helped you out," she argued, but something on her expression told me she was proud of my achievement. "We should take it back to cook it. 

Upon returning, I could see that Sana and Momo were cooking rice on a clay pot, using a campfire. There was a second one which I assumed was for the fish. Both flames had a vivid blue color, which intrigued me. They also set up a large blanket, along with eating utensils, such as bowls and chopsticks.

"Wow, that's a big fish you have there!" Sana exclaimed, her mouth widened. 

"I'm surprised that we even have rice to cook," I replied, also surprised. 

"What do you think those bags are full of?" Momo asked. "Now let's start cooking that fish because I'm starving." 

Mina unsheathed her katana and impaled the fish, using it as a skewer. The scene was a bit gruesome, so I looked away, feeling uncomfortable until she placed it on top of the fire. 

"Why are the flames blue?" I curiously asked, making small talk as we waited for the food to cook. 

"Ah, I'm the one who set the wood on fire!" Sana exclaimed, sounding proud of herself as she gave me a free sample of her flames by breathing out some into the air. 

"Right," I replied, astonished, still unused to living beings breathing fire out of their mouths. "I almost forgot you're a kitsune."

"I'm not a kitsune," Sana replied, but the twitching ears on top of her head seemed to tell me otherwise, so I raised my eyebrows. "Well, not exactly... I'm half-kitsune."

"What does that mean?" I inquired, feeling even more confused than before.

"It means that not both of my parents are kitsune," she replied, her voice not as cheerful a usual. "To be more specific, my mother is a human, and my father is the kitsune we're looking for. But I've never met either of them..."

"Sana was raised by my family," Momo explained, and the half-kitsune girl nodded. 

"That's right, so I'm practically Hirai Sana," she spoke, her mood seeming lifted again. 

I wondered why her parents didn't want to raise her, but I decided it was best not to push it since it seemed like a touchy subject for Sana. 

"I think the fish is ready," Mina said after minutes of silence, pulling it back from the fire. She and Momo served everyone, and the smell of food made me realize how hungry I was.

"I'm starving!" I said, digging into the food, but after a few bites, I noticed how unseasoned it was. 

I put my bowl down and began searching through my bag until I found a few ketchup sachets that I didn't consume when I had last lunch at that McDonalds. Right before I was transported back to the past. 

"What's that?" Momo asked, glancing curiously at the red sauce that I was pouring over my fish. 

"It's called ketchup," I explained, giving out a sachet for each one of the girls so they could try it too. "It's a sauce from my time. Luckily I had some inside my bag."

Momo and Sana grimaced after tasting it, but Mina reacted very differently. I never saw her face looked so delighted, and she quickly drenched her food with all of the content of her sachet. 

"This red sauce called ketchup is delicious!" Mina blurted out, and I couldn't help giggling because of how happy she looked eating it. She reminded me of a little kid, and I admired her, wondering if I just caught a glimpse of how she used to be like.

"I'm glad you liked it," I replied, resting my face on top of my hand, too distracted by her to pay attention to my food. "I have loads of these inside my bag, so you can have them. They give it out at restaurants."

"They give this out for free?!" She asked astonished. "The 21st century sounds amazing."

"Well, it's not exactly for free," I replied. "We do pay for the food, y'know, they just include this so people can season their food with it if they want to."

Momo and Sana gave the rest of their ketchup to Mina, and we all were shocked at how much she liked it.

After we finished eating, I picked my diary from inside of my bag and sat down against on tree. I wrote about everything that happened since I arrived. 

A lot of it ended up being about Mina. This girl was managing to make a strong impression on me, and I found myself smiling as I wrote down the little details I noticed about the girl that I thought was endearing. 

Like the small moles on her face that almost seemed to form a constellation. Or the way her gums appear whenever her smile was too big, or when she laughed. Although sadly, those were rare. And of course, I couldn't forget about her surprising love for ketchup.

"What are you doing?" I suddenly heard from the person I was writing about. I looked up and saw Mina curiously watching me.

"I like to keep diaries to record my life," I answered, surprised that she approached me, but still smiling at her. 

I tapped the ground beside me a few times, in an attempt to ask her to sit by my side. To my delight, she did precisely that, but I wasn't too eager when I saw her glancing at my diary, and I immediately took it away from her view.

"Diaries are supposed to be private, you know!" I claimed, blushing out of fear that she read what I wrote down.

"I wasn't reading what you wrote," she replied, pointing at the pen I held in my head. "I was looking at this."

I instantly recognized why she was staring. Surely for her, a pen with a cute cartoon frog her on the top looked quite strange. I sighed in relief and explained, "This is my pen. Isn't it cute?"

I held out the pen, and she took it from my hand, carefully inspecting it. "Cute isn't exactly the word I'd use to describe it, but I suppose so," she commented. "It's mostly just odd though."

I giggled, taking it back from her and putting it down along with my diary. Of course, just like most things from the 21st century, this was strange to her. 

"I have a lot of  _ cute _ pens like this... I'm a literature student. I love reading and also writing, so keeping things like this is like a guilty pleasure of mine," I spoke, opening up about my personal life for the rest time to her. 

I felt so at ease that I leaned my head against hers. She seemed surprised by my actions because I felt her freeze and clasp the fabric of her hakama. 

At first, my heart was fluttering, but I could slowly feel it relax as I got more used to being beside her, and thankfully, I could feel the same happening to Mina, as she appeared increasingly less stiff.

"Is that so?" She softly asked, her voice almost as quiet as a whisper. 

"Mmhmm," I whispered back, feeling my eyelids beginning to tremble. "Maybe I should write a book about my adventures here once I'm back home." 

Mina didn't say anything for a while, and I was almost drifting to sleep when she asked, "Will I be included in your story?" 

Her question earned a smile from me. The answer should be obvious, as she was the person who had the most significant impact on my life ever since I arrived here. 

But I'd be lying if I said that was all there was to it. Mina was starting to genuinely interest me, and I found myself thinking of her all the time.

I closed my eyes, still smiling as I replied: 

"It's a secret."


	5. Chapter 5

It must have been more than a week traveling on top of a giant fox until we arrived at Ōtsu. I have to admit I never missed modern transportation as much as I do now. 

We also came across a few thieves, but when most of them realized that Mina was a samurai, Momo was a priestess trained in archery and Sana was a half-kitsune who could roast them in seconds, they quickly ran away.

But at least this night we wouldn't have to sleep in the middle of the woods. We'd be staying at an inn, and the best part was that there was a hot spring for clients to bathe. 

Finally, we wouldn't have to use a river for that!

I picked up a mirror from inside the makeup kit that came along with me from the future. Luckily, my skin didn't seem to be doing too bad, considering I hadn't done any of my skincare routines for weeks.

"Are those things from the future?" Sana asked, and her foxy features were accentuated by how curious she looked. Though honestly, her personality was more like a friendly puppy, if anything. 

"Yep, this is my makeup kit," I responded, handing the pouch for her to examine it. 

She grabbed my cushion and opened it, her eyes widening when she saw her reflection in it's mirror. 

"What is this for?" The kitsune girl asked, delicately picking up the pad and staring at it. 

"You can apply it to your face to create an even complexion and hide flaws," I answered, taking the cushion from her hand. "Hey, what if I put some makeup on you?"

"Are you implying I need it?" Sana asked, raising an eyebrow, her lips curled in a smirk. 

"That's not what I said!" I defended myself, giggling. "I don't think you need it, but we can do it just for fun." 

"Okay, okay!" She answered excitedly, and I could tell she was eager to try on something from the future. 

"We won't do anything crazy, alright?" I asked, dipping the pad into the cushion foundation and then lightly tapping it on her face. 

A few minutes after I finished doing her makeup, the other two girls walked inside the room, returning from the hot springs. 

"What happened to your face?" Momo asked, her eyes fixed on Sana. 

"Nayeon put some makeup from the future on me!" The half-kitsune explained. "Don't I look pretty?"

"Do you guys want to try it out too?" I asked. It was comforting doing something from my time. It gave me a sense of normality and connection to my old day-to-day life.

"Ah, go ahead first, Mina," Momo said, pushing her towards us. "I'm sleepy, so I'm gonna lie down a bit."

"I never agreed to this," the samurai protested, seeming reluctant, but sitting down in front of me anyway.

"I promise you it's not that bad," I whispered, moving a bit closer to her.

Mina had her hair down, which was quite a rare sight. It gave her a more innocent-looking appearance and made her features stand out. Being so near to her gave me a more generous opportunity to observe them, and she was strikingly beautiful, as expected.

I gently tucked a few strands behind her ears, and the other girl shut her eyes closed. I started to apply the cushion foundation on her, being careful not to erase her moles, which were such a beautiful part of her appearance. 

I skipped a lot of the steps I would usually go through, but it's not like she needed it. Honestly, I just wanted to get this over as soon as possible. Mina was probably tired from the trip, and my heart was beating dangerously fast. 

Taking a deep breath, I swiped a red tint on her lips, using my fingers to delicately spread the product over them, creating a uniform appearance. Touching her lips gave me a tingly feeling, and I couldn't stop staring at them. 

It was so different from doing Sana's makeup. I felt so conscious and nervous about every single move I made. 

"Okay, I'm done," I said, my voice cracking a bit.

"You look so pretty, Mitang!" Sana said, picking up my mirror and showing Mina her reflection. 

"Yeah, you do," I agreed, not managing to meet her eyes and playing with my clothes' fabric.

When I looked at Mina, her cheeks looked red, but I was unsure if she was blushing or if it was just the makeup I applied to her. 

"Well, I'm going to sleep now," I suddenly said, unable to handle the situation any further. Quickly putting my stuff back inside my backpack, I hurried to my mattress and hid underneath the sheets. 

This couldn't be happening. I couldn't allow it to happen. My heart was still pounding hard inside my chest as if it was about to explode. And it was always like that every time Mina was close to me.

But getting involved with her was too dangerous. Anything that bloomed between us was set to be a failure because we had an expiration date. The whole point of what we were doing was to send me back to the future, which meant I wouldn't see her anymore. 

Just the thought of that pained me, and I tried my best to hold back tears even though I felt like crying my chest out. I didn't know why I was getting attached to Mina so fast, but I hated the idea of falling for her.

* * *

It's safe to say that even despite sleeping in a cozy inn after a hot bath, I did not have a good night's sleep. I couldn't stop thinking about my feelings for Mina, and I may or may not have cried once. 

But now I had to seal those feelings away to focus on more pressing matters. We had to obtain clues about Sana's father, and Momo found out there was a festival happening in town, so we thought it would be an excellent place to find some information since there would be a lot of people attending.

"We should split up, it'll be easier that way," Momo said, as we walked through a crowd of people. 

"Great, I'll go with Sana then," I said, putting my hand on the kitsune's shoulder. "We'll go this way, and you guys can go the other way."

Mina didn't say anything, but I could tell that she was stunned along with the other two. Sana's puzzled face quickly turned into a smile, and she pulled my sleeve, saying: 

"Okay, let's go then!"

The Japanese festivals in the 15th century didn't seem all that different from those I experienced. Especially considering in the future, most people use traditional Japanese clothes anyway. The most remarkable difference was the lack of modernized technology. 

As Sana walked by my side, I could notice her fox ears twitching every now and then. So I took the courage and asked her, "Sana? Would you mind if I touched your ears?" 

"Huh? Why do you wanna do that?" She asked, but kneeling a bit anyway, so her head was more comfortable to access.

"I can't help it, they're just so cute!" I exclaimed, giving her fluffy ears a few light squeezes and scratching them. She smiled widely at me, and I could see how accentuated her sharp canines were.

"You know, I usually get that kind of request, but... usually it's from little kids," Sana commented as I fiddled a bit more with them. "They're the ones who usually like to play with my ears." 

"You can't blame me. Nobody has fluffy ears like this in my time!" I countered, and she abruptly pulled her head back. 

"What do you mean?" She asked, her eyes widened in what seemed to be fear. 

"Oh... it's just that I didn't really know yokai existed before returning to the past," I answered, worried that I struck some sort of nerve.

"Well... kitsune are shape-shifters... perhaps we just adapted to your time by hiding our fox features," she answered, seeming a bit gloomy. "It's sad that apparently, we had to hide."

"Why would you have to hide?" I asked, genuinely oblivious about what she was talking about.

"A lot of humans despise yokai. They think all of them are heartless monsters. And the same goes for yokai, many of them hate humans and find them insignificant, powerless creatures," she began explaining, and I could see the anguish in her eyes as she spoke. "My parents were different though... my father cherished humans, so much that he deeply fell in love with one." 

"Your mother... right?" I asked tentatively as it seemed to be a hard topic for Sana. 

She glanced at me and smiled nodding. "Yeah, my mother," she replied. "They were in love with each other and were excited to start a family. At least that's what I was told. I can't remember either of them. My mother... she died when giving birth to me," Sana added, and I could see tears starting to appear in her troubled eyes.

"I'm so sorry about that, Sana," I whispered, taking hold of her hand and squeezing it to comfort her. 

"It's okay... thank you, Nayeon," she replied softly. "My father couldn't bear the pain of losing my mother. She was everything to him... so he left everything behind, including me, and began roaming aimlessly all over the country. He probably wouldn't be able to look into the eyes of the one responsible for the death of the person he loved the most."

"That's not true!" I immediately countered, pressing her hand even tighter. "You're not responsible for any of that, Sana... if anything, you're the biggest victim. You lost both your parents that day."

She bit her lips as she glanced at me, her eyes shimmering. "My father left me with the Hirai family. They were the only ones he could trust me with... but I've got to see him. I have to ask  _ why  _ he abandoned me. Did he truly find me guilty...?"

"Don't worry, Sana, we'll find him!" I firmly said, trying to reassure her. "Then you'll get your answers. And I'm going to kick his ass if he says anything bad about you!" 

"Nayeon!" Sana exclaimed, letting out a few surprise giggles. "My father is a void fox. That's like, the second-highest class of celestial foxes. I can understand why you're mad at him, but we must treat him with respect." 

"Highest class... celestial foxes?" I asked, confused. "What does that mean?" 

"Well, there are two primordial types of kitsune. The wild fox, which is the type of kitsune you'll find more often. These like to trick humans and use their power to scare them. And the other type is the good fox, who can serve the gods and ascend in classes," she began explaining, and I tried my best to focus and understand everything. "The wild fox can only ascend two classes: spirit fox and earth fox. Good foxes can ascend to the highest classes, starting from wizard fox, to void fox, and finally, to the heavenly fox. Tsura, who we met at the temple, is a wizard fox, and Itsuya, who we saw in the flames, lives in the astral realm. She's a heavenly fox, so most of her time is spent there."

"Wow, this is all really fascinating!" I commented, genuinely impressed at their class system. "Which class are you in, Sana?" 

She laughed, but it wasn't a happy one. It was almost sarcastic, something rare for pure-hearted Sana. "I don't have a class... I'm just half-kitsune. I guess it's its own, separate class... since I'm not completely human, and not completely yokai, I'm looked down by both groups."

"That's horrible, Sana," I said, feeling genuinely sorry for her. She didn't deserve all this mistreatment. "To me, you're just an amazingly friendly and adorable friend. I don't care what class you belong to, so I don't see how anyone can look down on you."

"Aww, thanks, Nayeon... I wish everyone thought that way," she replied, tilting her head. "I'm glad you think of me as a friend... here, you can play with my ears a bit more."

I absentmindedly scratched her ears as we walked a bit more when my eyes landed on another person who had the same ears as Sana.

"Look, another kitsune!" I whispered, pointing at the guy who sat down in front of a stall drinking sake. "Maybe he has information on your father!" 

"You could be right," she whispered back. We both looked at each other and nodded. "Let's go talk to him."

As we approached the man, I could observe his appearance better. He had black hair parted in the middle, and his ears were also of the same color. He had vulpine facial features, much like Sana.

"Do you need anything?" He asked with a smirk upon noticing us, probably realizing we were looking at him.

"We're looking for someone," Sana responded.

"And why do you think I'd know that someone?" The man replied. He seemed friendly, and his smile only faded when he took a sip of his drink."

"Because he's a kitsune, and the last time he was seen was on this town," I replied cautiously. 

"We're looking for Ryoma, the void fox," Sana continued, and I could tell she was far more serious than usual.

"Do you happen to know him?" I added hopefully.

"Ah, Ryoma, huh? He was indeed here a couple months ago... but he left already," the man answered. "Good man. Stayed a while to help out some folks."

"What do you mean?" Sana asked, her eyebrows furrowed. 

"I wasn't close to him, but I heard that he spends his days searching for people who need help," he answered, seeming to analyze Sana and gesturing at her. "Are you related to him? I really see some sort of resemblance. He had red hair just like you."

Sana sighed, looking away. "He's my father," she retorted.

"Huh, really? He never mentioned having a kid," the kitsune replied, leaning back against the stall. "Well, if you're his daughter, then that makes you a friend of mine. People in this village have quite a deep gratitude for him. My name's Hoshi," he added, and when he smiled at us, his eyes folded into half-moons.

"I'm Nayeon, and this is Sana," I said awkwardly after a while since Sana wasn't speaking anything. "Thank you for your help, Hoshi."

"Did he tell you where he went?" Sana asked suddenly. 

"He didn't tell me personally," Hoshi replied, resting his head on top of his hand as he finished his sake. "But I heard whispers he was headed to Fujinomiya."

"That's so far from here," Sana answered apprehensively, and my heart sank with that information.

Hoshi chuckled and nodded, saying, "Yeah, it sure is a long road from here to Fujinomiya."

"Fujinomiya?" I heard Momo's voice behind us. She and Mina had just arrived. 

"Can this information be trusted?" Mina asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes. 

Hoshi put his hands up in the air, his usual smile still present, "Ouch, is all of this mistrust just because I'm a kitsune? If you don't believe it from me, you can ask the town's priest himself. He's the one who got the information firsthand from Ryoma."

"I think Hoshi can be trusted," I spoke, and his smile grew. "He's been nothing but helpful."

"You're too naive," Mina replied, sighing and closing her eyes. "But you're probably right.... if he was a troublemaker, he wouldn't be allowed here."

"That's right, I'm a good boy," he stated with an eye smile, putting his arms behind his head.

"Seems like we're headed to Fujinomiya then," Momo said, sitting down in one of the stools and raising her arm to ask for a drink. 

"I could use some liquor too," Sana replied, sitting down beside Momo and resting her head on the other girl's shoulder. "Will you two join us?" 

"I don't drink," Mina stated, and her eyes shifted to me.

"Looks like we've got at least one thing in common. I don't drink either," I stated, smiling at the samurai. "Wanna look around the festival together, then?"

Before she could answer, I grabbed her sleeve and dragged her with me, to which she didn't fight back. I looked back and waved, saying, "Thank you for your help, Hoshi!" 

Mina remained silent, not looking at me and, instead, observing the festival decorations. The sun was beginning to set, and the sky was tinted with rich indigo and golden tones. 

"Did you and Momo manage to find anything?" I asked, and finally, Mina glanced at me.

"The most interesting thing that happened was a shopkeeper trying to chase off some wild kitsune trying to steal food from his stall," Mina answered.

I chuckled and replied, "Is that why you were so suspicious of Hoshi? Or are you just suspicious of everyone?" 

"It's wise to not trust strangers so easily," she explained, frowning.

"I remember how you thought I was a foreign spy," I said, smiling as I reminisced how awkward our first meeting was. "Yet, somehow, I knew I could trust you immediately," I added.

"Nayeon," she whispered, her eyes widening a bit at my statement. "You shouldn't put your faith on people so quickly like that."

I bit my lips nervously, looking at her and asking, "Does that mean I shouldn't trust you?" 

Mina's eyes softened, and she smiled at me. "No... you  _ can _ trust me," she responded. "I wouldn't ever do anything to hurt you, Nayeon."

I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but after hearing her affirming that I could trust, I felt more at ease. Although, even if she said otherwise, I might not have believed her in the first place. 

Perhaps I am naive, just like she said. But if someone doesn't give me a reason to distrust them, I won't do that.

"I know you wouldn't," I said, returning her smile. "I'd be lost without you here, to be honest."

"That's not true," Mina replied, her voice sounding kinder than usual. "You're a clever girl, you'd figure something out."

"I'm still glad I met you, though," I sincerely spoke.

Mina seemed surprised, and said after a while, she suddenly pulled my sleeve, and we both stopped walking. Her action caught me off guard, and I stared at her expectantly. 

"What's wrong?" I asked, frowning in concern.

She hesitantly put a hand inside her pocket and pulled something out. It was rare to see Mina this nervous, and it made me feel the same way, as my chest was hardly palpitating.

"What's that?" I asked, trying to figure out what she was holding and clenching my clothes' fabric.

"I got this for you," Mina answered, revealing a necklace in her hand. It was a necklace with a pendant in the shape of a comma. Her cheeks were red, and I could tell she was struggling. 

My face matched the red color that tinged hers. It was hard to process what was happening. "For...me?" I asked.

"It's not a big deal… but I saw these being sold and thought of getting one for you... so won't forget about your time here when you return home... or me," Mina explained. "I'm sure that ornaments are far more elaborated where you come from. But here, this is the most traditional type of necklace."

I was mesmerized by the sincerity in her eyes and moved closer and closer to Mina until I embraced her for the first time. All I could feel were butterflies in my stomach, as her warmth invaded my body, and she slowly wrapped her arms around me.

"I could never forget about you, Mina," I whispered, hugging her tighter as I pushed back the thoughts of how one day we wouldn't be able to see each other anymore.


	6. Chapter 6

The trees that once flourished delicate cherry blossoms were now packed with green leaves, indicating the arrival of summer. Our sleeves were folded as we walked through a tall field under the fiery sun. 

Sweat was dripping from my forehead, but Momo insisted that we harvest medicinal herbs because they could end up being useful during our journey. And since we don't have modern drugs here, I agreed that having these seemed like a dependable option.

I could see Mina kneeling in the distance, as she carefully picked up some herbs from the patch of grass. I slowly approached her, to help her out since I had already gathered many of the herbs Momo asked me to. But the reality is that lately it's been hard to stay away from her, as my feelings grew day by day.

"What type of plant is that?" I asked, bending beside the girl and smiling at her. I placed a hand over my eyes to shield them from the harsh sunlight. 

"These are wild mints," Mina answered, as she placed a few of them inside a basket that.

"I'm gonna help you out with these so we can leave as soon as possible," I said, assisting her in pulling the mint herbs from the ground. "I can't stand the sun anymore."

I picked up a few of the herbs from the ground, and when I was about to put them inside the basket, Mina did the same, and our hands collided. She slightly jumped from the sudden contact and looked at me. 

Entirely driven by impulse, I held her hand against mine as I gazed intensely into her eyes. My hard was beating so fast that I couldn't control my breathing correctly, and Mina's cheeks were undeniably red.

Her delicate hand beginning to tremble, but her eyes wouldn't interrupt the contact with mine. Even in battles, Mina never wavered, but somehow this was enough to make her shiver. 

I gently caressed the top of her palm with my thumb and smiled at her, not thinking straight anymore. The only thing that mattered was how all my senses were in absolute euphoria, and I could sense that Mina felt the same way. How lucky I was to meet her.

The gap between us was decreasing as I slowly moved my face closer to hers. Mina glanced at my lips before quickly shifting her black orbs to look into mine again.

I closed my eyes. I didn't care what would happen after this. Right now, I just needed her. 

"What are you guys doing?" Asked Sana, and her voice felt like a cold shower interrupting us. 

It was like I snapped out of a trance. I instantly became overly conscious of what I was doing, so I quickly retracted my hand away from Mina's and distanced my face.

"I-I... I was just checking to see if Mina was having a heatstroke," I nervously lied, unable to look at either of them in the eye. 

"Now that you mention it, her face is quite red," Sana answered, kneeling in front of Mina and placing her hand on her forehead. "It's pretty hot too... we should probably call it a day and leave." 

The confirmation that Mina's face was hot lead to increasing temperature on mine. It's probably been a while since I ever blushed this much, but thankfully I could attribute it to the sun. 

"Y-Yeah, I agree," I said, grabbing the basket from the floor and running off to where Momo was. 

The priestess was leaning back against a cart we acquired to carry our supplies. I put the basket on top of it, trying to catch my breath. 

"Are you okay?" Momo asked, looking at me with concern. 

"I-I'm okay!" I reassured her, clutching the fabric near my heart to check how fast it was beating. 

I can't believe I nearly just kissed Mina. And she didn't seem like she was going to pull back either. The implications of this were both thrilling and scary to me. Deep down, I understood that we couldn't be together, but I wasn't strong enough to stop myself. It was like there was some force pulling me towards this girl.

Sana and Mina arrived a bit after me, the kitsune looking suspiciously at me, while the samurai wouldn't even glance in my direction.

"I guess we'll get going now!" Sana said, and her body became embellished with an intense yellow light before she transformed into her giant fox form. 

Momo attached the cart to Sana's body and then climbed on top of her. I followed closely behind, but Mina sat on the wagon instead, sighing as she leaned against one of the bags.

As the sky grew darker, we passed through a field with glowing fireflies that mirrored the golden stars. If my phone was still working, I would have taken a bunch of pictures.

There was undoubtedly a magical charm about the nature that was yet untouched by men. Even though it was a period tormented by conflicts, there was still something peaceful about this simpler life.

My train of thought was interrupted when the sound of desperate screaming filled the air, and Sana abruptly stopped moving. I immediately grew tense, and looked back, searching for Mina's eyes. She was highly alert and already stood on the cart, with her hand on top of her sword.

"Brace yourselves," Momo said, her brows frowning in tension. "Something is coming."

The next thing I heard was a thumping noise of something enormous hitting the ground, followed by more screams. My mouth hanged open, as I stared horror-struck at a monstrous snake that slithered our way, causing the ground to erupt and sending people flying.

"Get Nayeon somewhere safe," Momo yelled, quickly picking up her bow. 

Before I could do anything, Mina pulled me from the top of the kitsune and dragged me to hide behind a large tree. Sana ran towards the beast, and Momo drew an arrow. It became embedded in a light blue color before she shot it, hitting the snake in its eye.

The monster screeched in pain and violently thrust its body forward. Sana managed to swiftly get out of the way, but our cart full of supplies ended up being destroyed. 

"Stay here, I have to help them," Mina said, putting her hands on my shoulder. "Try not making any rough movements, because the snake can sense them. We need to finish it off quickly... there's a village nearby, and we need to protect the civilians."

"B-But what can you do against something that big?!" I retorted, my eyes widened by terror.

"You underestimate me!" she snapped back, unsheathing her katana and going in the serpent's direction before I could say another word. I thought my heart could explode at any moment, as I watched her form getting smaller in the horizon. 

Upon seeing the samurai, Sana and Momo dashed to join her, and Mina quickly jumped on top of the giant fox. I felt extremely powerless, as all I could do was observe my friends fighting this monster from a distance.

Momo kept shooting arrows, but they were far too small for the outrageous size of the serpent and didn't seem to do much damage. Sana breathed out cyan flames that scorched a part of the reptile's body, causing it to yell in pain. 

They approached it furthermore, and Mina brandished her katana, slicing a part of the snake's body. It would be a euphemism to say I was impressed at how they were managing to deal with this creature. 

I heard the grass moving nearby, and I noticed that one of the people who were thrown off by the snake were still alive, and my first instinct was to rush towards them to see if they needed my help. 

"Are you okay?" I whispered to a man who was bleeding, biting my lip and trying not to flinch at the scene. I ripped off a piece of my sleeve and wrapped it around his wound, in an attempt to stop him from losing more blood. 

"NAYEON, LOOK OUT!" I heard Mina's voice screaming, and when I looked back, the giant snake was frantically gliding in my direction. 

It all happened too fast. Sana raced after the monster and Mina dived in front of it, shoving me to the side before I was hit. Blood spilt in every direction, soaking my clothes. My horrified eyes immediately began tearing when I realized the blood was coming from Mina's arm, which had been pierced by the serpent's fang. 

"MINA!" I screamed, holding her tightly in my arms as the snake withdrew its fang, preparing to attack us once more. I never felt this desperate before, and I shut my eyes tightly before crying out again, "SOMEONE HELP ME!"

That moment, even though my eyes were closed, I could see a light so intense that it felt blinding. It was like some powerful energy was running through my body, and when I opened them, the snake had dissipated into thin air. 

"What happened?!" Momo yelled, kneeling beside us in ragged breaths.

"How did the snake just disappear?" Sana asked, reverting back to her human form in the blink of an eye and bending near Mina so she could watch her closely. "Is Mina okay?!"

"I-I don't know... I don't know! She's not opening her eyes, and she won't stop bleeding, Momo, what should we do?!" I answered, glancing at Momo for reassurance. 

"Her wound doesn't seem life-threatening," Momo replied, still out of breath as she analyzed her arm. "The problem is the venom, we need to stop it from spreading."

She quickly ripped a part of her kimono and wrapped it around Mina's arm, right on the top. "This should prevent it from reaching the rest of her body," she explained, then glancing at Sana. "You need to remove the poison." 

Sana nodded and without hesitating, leaned her head closer to Mina's arm. She placed her mouth on the wound and began sucking out the poison from her veins. 

"Won't the poison hurt her instead?" I asked, my brows furrowed. 

"Sana's half-kitsune... it would take a lot of poison to actually harm her," Momo explained. 

"Mina may seem tough, but she's still a delicate human," Sana said, wiping the blood from her mouth. "I did everything I could... it's all on her now." 

I gently cupped Mina's pale face as it laid on my lap, watching my teardrops fall over her. "I'm so sorry, Mina... please, you have to get through this," I whispered.

"We can take her back to my house," I heard an unknown male voice speak, and when I looked in its direction, I recognized it was the man who I tried helping, laid down on the grass. "You saved my life... and saved the village from what could have been a terrible fate... it's the least I can do."

* * *

"She has a fever," I worriedly said, placing my hand on top of Mina's burning forehead. 

"Her body is probably fighting the venom that persisted in her body," Momo answered, her eyes red from crying.

"She's a strong girl, I'm sure she'll be back to us in no time," Sana said reassuringly, smiling at me and placing her hand on my shoulder. 

The man whose life I saved was named Yuta, and he ended up being the son of a mansion lord. They offered their house until Mina was totally healed, as a way to thank us.

We also managed to retrieve some herbs that weren't ruined by the snake and utilized them on her. But she still hadn't awakened, even though hours already passed. 

The notion that Mina was so close to death was horrifying, and I felt guilty for disobeying her. But I couldn't just let that man die without at least trying to help him.

"There's something I want to talk to you about," Momo suddenly said.

"What is it?" I asked, wiping my swollen eyes before looking at her.

"I still don't understand how that giant snake simply... vanished," Momo answered. "Everything became surrounded by a light so strong that everything became white, and when I could see again, it was gone."

I furrowed my brows. "I don't understand what happened either... I just screamed for help, and then it disappeared," I stated. 

"The thing is... I could feel the goddess' energy," Momo sighed, appearing perplexed. "And the light unquestionably came from... you... I've never seen anything like that."

I didn't quite understand what she was implying, but my brain was too tired to even function at this point. 

"What's your point, Momo?" I asked, sounding unintentionally irritable.

"I don't have one, really," she replied, shrugging. "But there's something about you. Ever since I met you, I could sense powerful spiritual energy from you."

"Maybe she has some sort of power?" Sana asked, frowning as she was lost in thought. 

"What?" I retorted, shaking my head. "No, I'm completely normal... I've never had powers or anything like that."

"Maybe the goddess decided to help Nayeon when she cried for help," Sana said. "Whatever happened, I'm just glad about it. If it wasn't for that, we might all be dead by now."

The three of us immediately glanced at Mina when we heard a groan coming from her direction. The girl was slowly opening her eyes, and I couldn't stop a smile from forming.

"Mina," I whispered, my voice filled with happiness as I watched her orbs feverishly observing mine.

"I knew you'd make it out of this," Momo said, grinning at her friend and letting out a deep breath like she'd been holding it before.

"Mitang...!" Sana spoke, smiling with watery eyes and gently caressing the girl's temple. "Her forehead is still incredibly hot."

"Isn't there any medicine we can give her?" I asked, clenching my hands in tension. 

"We could try finding something in the village," Momo answered, placing her hand in her chin. 

"Let's go then!" I replied with no hesitation when I felt someone pulling my sleeve. 

It was Mina, and she was staring at me with her eyes slightly closed. "Please don't go," she softly pleaded, clearly still feverish.

I widened my eyes, surprised by her actions as I felt my face heating up. She wanted me to stay by her side? I know my heart shouldn't be racing in a moment like this, but I wasn't able to help it.

Momo also looked surprised, but Sana grabbed her hand and began dragging her towards the door. "It's okay, I'll go with Momo instead. Take care of her, Nayeon," the half-kitsune said. 

I nodded and watched the two girls leave the room. My gaze then shifted to Mina, whose eyes were closed again. 

"It's okay, Mina, I'm here," I whispered, caressing her hair and hoping it would comfort her. 

"You have a nice smell," she suddenly murmured, and it almost looked like she was talking to herself, apparently caught in a daze. 

"W-What?" I asked, clutching my heart and blushing. "I thought you didn't like my perfume..."

"That... was a lie," she slowly responded, her voice somnolent. 

I wasn't used to Mina being this honest, and it made my stomach flip in somersaults. This girl didn't even realize the effect she had on me, as she deeply fell into slumber. 

I was left wondering why all of this was happening. Ordinarily, our paths never would have crossed. But for some reason, I ended up here and met her, out of all people. Could this all really just be a crazy coincidence? 

Myoui Mina, who at first was just an annoying girl I had to put up with. With every day that passed, my heart slowly became dyed with her colors. It was so apparent now. 

I was falling in love. And the only thing I wanted to do was to protect her, the same way she's been protecting me. I placed a small kiss on her forehead, vowing to stay by her side all night long.


	7. Chapter 7

"Let me see if I understood it right," Momo said, dubiously staring at me. "You want me to teach you how to use a bow?"

"Yes, that's right," I firmly asserted. "I felt so useless when that snake attacked us... I want to be able to help too." 

If I knew how to defend myself in the first place, Mina wouldn't have needed to save me. She got hurt because of me, and even if her health seemed to be progressing, I still felt guilty. I couldn't endure being weak any longer. Next time, I'd be the one to protect her.

"You do realize it's not that easy to learn how to shoot arrows, right?" The priestess replied, giving me a doubtful look with one eyebrow raised.

I shrugged, growing a bit impatient, and answered, "I learned archery when I was younger. How hard can it be? Hopefully, it's like riding a bicycle, and you never quite forget how to do it."

"I've no idea what a bicycle is, but let's hope you still have a knack for it," Momo spoke, finally smiling at me as she crossed her arms. "I also have something in mind... we could try putting all that spiritual energy of yours to use."

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused. 

"You still don't realize it, do you?" Momo shot back, approaching. "There's something special about you. Your spiritual energy is far stronger than mine, and I'm a priestess. You were the one who destroyed that snake." 

"Really?" I replied, frowning my eyebrows as I placed my hand on my chin. "That's weird... but if it helps me fight along with you guys, I'm down for it."

"Yes... but first of all, let's see how your aim is doing," she replied, handing me a bow and an arrow. She pointed at a tree. "I want you to try hitting the middle of that tree."

I took a deep breath, trying to remember the accurate way to do this. Raising the bow and positioning the arrow, I slowly pulled the string, placing it near my face to try aiming correctly. When I finally released it, I watched as it hit the edge of the tree. 

"Not quite the center, but I wouldn't say it was too bad for the first time," I spoke, smirking at the priestess. 

"Not bad indeed," she answered, returning the smile as she observed the tree. "However, hitting a stagnant tree is one thing. You'll find that aiming against moving targets is far more difficult."

"Geez, Momo, don't ruin the fun," I complained, moping at the girl and making her chuckle. "Give me another arrow and run around the grounds so I can shoot you then." 

"Getting funny, are we?" She retorted, shaking her head at me. "But you're right, it's better to practice against moving targets." When she saw my mischievous grin, she frowned and added, "Not me, of course."

"At least it seems you trust my ability to hit you," I returned. "So, what should me my target instead?"

Momo bent to the ground and picked up a stone. She smiled at me, bouncing it in her hand before standing again. "How about this?" She asked. 

"Uh, sounds very difficult," I replied honestly, staring at the small size of the rock I'd have to blast in midair.

"If you master this, you'll be able to shoot any target," she argued. "Before that, though, I'd like to teach you how to use your spiritual energy. That way, you can try practicing both at the same time."

"Sure, because shooting flying rocks isn't complicated enough already," I replied sarcastically, and Momo rolled her eyes me. 

"You're the one who asked for this, so now bear with it," Momo reminded me.

"You're right," I answered, nodding once. "I can do this... I have to."

"First, every human being holds spiritual energy within. It is powered by our very souls," Momo began explaining. "Priestesses like me are trained from a young age to control this energy, and it is especially effective against yokai. It's what you used to defeat the serpent who attacked us."

"I have no idea how I did it, though," I said, feeling like I've repeated this countless times already. 

"It was probably the despair you felt at that time, but it's still unusual," Momo stated, seeming lost in thought as she analyzed it. "No matter how desperate, untrained humans aren't able to use spiritual power," she extended her hand until it became surrounded by a light blue aura. "See this? Our spiritual energy is blue... but the one you used was white. My guess is that something about yours is different, and it's so powerful that it can manifest whenever you're in trouble."

Her explanation sent my brain spinning in circles. But, honestly, I didn't care much. I just wanted to learn how to use it, so I could be useful to everyone else. 

"Okay, okay, I think I get it," I answered anxiously. "But how do I use it?" 

"I want you to empty your mind, and visualize only the reason of why you want to use that power... try seeking it from the inside," she said. "Then, try applying that energy to your hand."

"How am I supposed to do that?" I asked, thoroughly confused by her explanation.

Momo sighed. "Close your eyes," she stated, and I immediately obeyed. "You need to concentrate. Forget about everything else, and try connecting with your soul. Think about why you want to use your spiritual energy."

I tried to erase everything around me, and the only thought I had was how I wanted to protect everyone with this power. Suddenly, I felt an energy flowing throughout all of me that gave an unexpected sensation of vitality. 

"Open your eyes," Momo commanded. 

I did as she asked, and there was a white aura surrounding my body. I got so excited that I begin laughing, happy about being able to do it, but the energy disappeared immediately afterward.

"That's what happens when you lose your concentration," Momo replied, sighing and crossing her arms. 

"Well, at least I managed to do something!" I exclaimed, feeling optimistic, and patting Momo's shoulder. 

"I suppose so," Momo answered, not seeming to contaminated by my excitement. "Try doing the same thing, but applying all of that energy to a specific place." She suddenly grabbed my hand and turned it around, so my palm was facing upwards. "For instance, your hand."

I followed all of the steps she instructed before. Clearing my mind and visualizing the reason why I wanted to use my spiritual energy. Once I could feel it flowing again, I tried channeling all of that to my hands. After opening my eyes, I could see a white glow surrounding it.

"That's it!" Momo exclaimed, beaming widely at me. 

* * *

Soft drizzle was pouring, as daylight was almost gone, and the moon was starting to illuminate everything. The sound of raindrops lightly hitting the roof made me relaxed. I let myself feel the water sliding down my hand, extending it.

After an entire afternoon of training, it was all I needed to feel refreshed. I certainly wouldn't say I'm anywhere near an expert, both in archery or using spiritual power. But I wasn't useless anymore either, and there was a positive reassurance about that. 

"You're going to get sick," I heard Mina's voice say, and turned around to see the black-haired girl looking at me. "Get under the roof so you won't be soaked by the rain."

I smiled at her and shook my head. "Don't worry, I don't mind the rain," I answered. "Besides, the rain is so light that I'm not even near to being soaked."

"If you say so," Mina replied, before looking around. "Where are Momo and Sana?"

"They went to the village to restock on supplies," I explained.

"Good, when they're back, tell them that we're leaving," she stated, shifting her body to turn around. 

"What?" I asked in disbelief, getting up and following the girl. "Mina, you're still too weak... you have to rest more. You know how dangerous the road is, we could be attacked at any moment. You're in no condition to defend yourself."

"I'm fine already," she argued impatiently. "We've already lost too much time here."

"Really? You're fine already?" I questioned, delicately grabbing her wounded arm by the wrist and showing it to her. It bled again, and the red color was showing through the bandages. "Then what's this?" 

Her eyes widened when she saw the blood. "I... I didn't even notice it was bleeding," she admitted.

"Stop being so reckless, Mina," I pleaded, my eyes filled with concern as I gazed at her. "I don't want you to get hurt again."

The samurai didn't say a word and looked away, but I could tell I was able to convince her. 

"Let's go inside, I'll replace the bandages on your arm," I said, pulling her into the room. She laid in the bed with only her torso upheld, and I began unwrapping the bandages. 

I witnessed that her wound hadn't completely closed yet, and her skin was acquiring a purple tone. I inhaled sharply, starting to fold a clean bandage around her arm. I tried my best, but I couldn't hold back the tears anymore. 

"Why are you crying?" Mina softly asked, her eyes watching me pitifully. She shifted the arm I was holding to grasp my hand and lightly stroked it.

"I'm s-sorry, Mina," I slowly responded, trying to muster my voice. "This is all my fault... if it weren't for me, you wouldn't be hurt now. All I've done since we met is cause y-you trouble.

"That's not true," she whispered, cupping my face and wiping the tears with her thumb. "You may see it like that... but the reality is that you brought a lot of joy into my life, Nayeon."

Her words widened my eyes, and when they met hers, the only thing they saw was sincerity. And maybe even something more? There was a hint of tenderness in her gaze that was enough to send my heart racing, and I could hear it over the sound of rain hitting the ground outside.

She put her hands on my waist and gently pulled me towards her, prompting the world to fade away, for all I could see were her eyes. The small moles placed all over her face. And then, finally, her delicately shaped lips.

Placing my arms around her neck, I drifted even closer, and her luscious scent invaded my senses. She quickly gazed at my mouth before closing her eyes, and finally, our lips met. 

Her kiss sent little sparks of euphoria rushing through my whole body, and I never had experienced something like that. It was passionate yet soft, just like her. Unspoken words in silent devotion, like she was seeking to convey how much she cared about me.

But it came to an end, and once we were apart, it felt like I had been punched in the face by reality. I couldn't quite decipher the look on Mina's face, but before even trying, I ran off and shut the door behind her. 

I tried to catch my breath as I leaned against the door. I've never felt so confused. It was so intoxicating to want someone this much while knowing you can't have them. Letting myself slide to the floor, I hugged my legs and cried my heart out. It seemed like that's all I've been able to do these past days, and even though I was becoming sick of it, I couldn't stop myself. 

I heard footsteps approaching the other side of the door and immediately stood, hurrying away before Mina could see me in that state. Where I ended up didn't matter, for all I wanted was to avoid the other girl. 

As soon enough as I was leaving the mansion's grounds, my body collided against someone, and I saw bags falling to the ground. When I looked up, Momo stared at me with a weird face, holding a red umbrella in her hand. 

"For goodness' sake, Nayeon, where are you going in this state?!" She questioned, frowning at me. "Did something happen to Mina?"

"W-What? No, Mina is fine," I answered, out of breath. "Where's Sana?"

"I'm right here!" I heard her voice and looked around for the fox girl, but there was no luck finding her. My eyes then stopped at the umbrella. "Don't tell me..."

"Yeah, she transformed into this umbrella," Momo said, guessing what I imagined. 

"I didn't know kitsune could transform into umbrellas," I answered, frowning in confusion. 

"They can transform into anything, it's part of their abilities," the priestess stated. "I made her do it since I didn't want our supplies to get wet. But it seems like that was in vain," she added, gesturing to the bags in the muddy ground.

"I'm sorry, Momo, I really should have looked where I was going," I timidly said, looking at her apologetically. 

"It's fine," she replied, shaking her head and waving her hands dismissively. "We can restock tomorrow... besides, Yuta's family gifted us with plenty of supplies and a cart already, so we only went out to buy a few things we didn't already have." 

"More importantly," Sana said, and I stared at the umbrella, still in disbelief that it was my friend. "What happened to you, Nayeon?" 

Momo grabbed my arm and dragged me underneath the mansion's roof, where the rain wouldn't hit us. I sighed, sitting down on the wooden porch, and Momo repeated my actions. 

Sana transformed back into her human form, joining us on the porch. She was wet from the rain, but it didn't seem to bother her, as it looked like she was mostly worried about me.

"I kissed Mina," I blurted out, figuring it would be better than to drag the explanation, and the eyes of both girls widened at my revelation.

"What?!" Momo asked in disbelief, her mouth agape. 

"I knew something was going on between you two," Sana smirked, but then her face fell. "But what's the problem? Did she not like the kiss?"

"What? No, I'm sure she liked it!" I retorted, blushing, and feeling a bit offended. "The problem is we can't be together... this can't happen between us."

"Nayeon's right," Momo answered, and it caused a weird sensation in my stomach. I didn't know if I should be relieved or upset. "I don't think you should get involved with her..." 

"But why?" Sana asked, gaping sadly at me. "If they like each other, then they should be together, no?" 

"It's not that simple," I replied, frowning as I stared at the floor. "I'm going back to the 21st century, remember?" 

"Oh," Sana replied, dejected as if suddenly realizing how complicated the situation was. "I nearly forgot you're going to leave after all of this."

"And not only that," Momo replied, biting her lips and glancing away. "There's another reason Mina can't get romantically involved with someone."

"What do you mean?" I asked, clutching the fabric of my hakama and growing anxious about how mysterious Momo was being.

"It's not my place to tell you," she replied, crossing her arms. Upon looking at my desolated eyes, her expression softened, and she put her hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry, Nayeon, but this is for your own good... don't get too involved with her if you don't want to have your heart broken."

It was too late for that. I was already shattered into a million pieces.


	8. Chapter 8

Distancing myself from Mina wasn't easy, but it was necessary. Getting closer to her just to say goodbye, in the end, would hurt both of us even more in the process. So, for the past days, we acted as strangers, just like we were once. 

That didn't mean I wasn't notably relieved when she was nearly completely recovered, though, and it was time to say goodbye to this luxurious house after staying two weeks. This also signified that it would be harder to avoid Mina from now on.

In a few minutes, we would be leaving. Sana was already in her giant kitsune form, and a borrowed cart was attached to a saddle that was custom made for her size.

"We'd like to thank you again for your hospitality," Momo said, bowing to the two men that had come to personally bid farewell to us. "And also for supplying us with all of this," she added, gesturing to the wagon filled to the brim.

"It's the least we could do," answered Kazuo, Yuta's father, beaming at us. "You saved my son's life, and for that, I'll always be eternally grateful."

Yuta moved forward and suddenly held my hand, placing a quick kiss on it. "Thank you again, Nayeon. If you didn't have to leave, I would certainly have asked you to be my bride."

His father laughed enthusiastically and roughly patted his shoulder. "You would have been a fine bride for my Yuta indeed!" He exclaimed.

Something breaking echoed behind me, and I looked back to see a hole in one of the supply boxes. Mina sat suspiciously next to it, rosy-cheeked and sulky. 

"Sorry, my katana slipped," she said after clearing her voice, and Momo gave her a look.

"Ah, I'm flattered but... I think I'm a bit young to get married," I answered, blushing in shame and waving my hands.

"Nonsense!" The older name exclaimed, still cheerful. "Folks usually get married at your age these days. But I guess fate wasn't rooting for you and my boy." 

"I suppose so," I answered, trying to laugh along with him. But all I could think about was that it didn't seem to be cheering for me and Mina either. Fate was cruel enough to unite us just to tear us apart in the end.

"Either way, we wish you all the best of luck," Yuta said, waving goodbye alongside his father. 

A few minutes later, and we were on the road again. Wanting to avoid Mina, I rode the top of the giant fox, now saddled. Momo joined Mina in the cart, saying that it was less bumpy than Sana's back, which left the kitsune slightly offended. 

I enjoyed the wind blowing through my hair and sweeping against my skin, relieving the heat of a summer morning. I grabbed the hair tie wrapped around my wrist and attached my locks in a ponytail, to prevent strands from harshly hitting my face.

Admiring the shifting landscape, I let it distract me: the tall trees and their calm green colors, opposing serene blue rivers that spread around like cerulean threads. Mountains encircled us, and in the horizon line stood one of the tallest, the majestic Mt. Fuji, enveloped by white clouds in the distance.

Returning to the past allowed me to visit numerous places in Japan, some that I couldn't imagine I'd meet even in my wildest dreams. It made me realize how I never left Kyoto, ever since I moved there as a teenager, and now I could see its golden days under the name Heian-kyō, the capital.

The contrast between tradition and modernity in the future is known as a prominent feature of Japan. Somehow, I was allowed to experience both of these essences in their peak. I was relieved that I would be able to return home soon, but it was undeniable that I'd still yearn for this era. Notably a certain samurai girl, however, that was precisely what I was seeking to forget about.

After a few hours, we reached Lake Ikawa, a destination Yuta and his father informed us about. It was necessary to traverse it, and they instructed us to look for someone named Yoshinori, who would sail for us. He was described as a tall young man with black hair.

I hopped down, trying to search for someone with that appearance, but it seemed to match every fisherman in the vicinity.

"They could have been a bit more specific about Yoshinori's looks," I said when Momo joined me, sighing in frustration.

Sana's enormous kitsune form seemed to be attracting their attention because there were countless widened eyes gawking at us. One of the men approached us. He looked frightened, and his voice shivered when he said, "D-Do you need something?" 

Momo offered him a friendly smile and said, "We're looking for Yoshinori. We are allies of Lord Nakamoto."

"Yoshinori!" The man yelled, using his hand to amplify his voice. He seemed relieved that we weren't a threat. "These people are looking for you." 

A black-haired man in a simple blue kimono walked in our direction. He bared a stern expression, yet he looked no older than twenty-years-old. "What do you need me for?" He solemnly required, utterly unfazed by the giant fox that accompanied us. 

"Here," Mina answered simply, handing him a letter from Kazuo. 

His eyes darted through the scroll, and in a few instants, he gazed back at us. "You need me to sail you through the lake in direction to Fujinomiya?" He asked.

"Could you please do that for us?" I politely inquired, looking hopefully at Yoshinori. 

"Of course. If Lord Nakamoto's the one askin', there's no way I'd say no," he answered. 

"Thank you," Momo and I said, at the same time, observing him walking towards the lake. He talked to another man, and together they both pulled one of the largest boats towards the surface. 

"Come on!" He exclaimed, waving for us to join him. The three of us went back to the cart, and Sana walked us to where Yoshinori was. 

"We won't be able to take that though," he said, pointing our way.

"How rude!" She blurted before becoming surrounded by yellow light and shifting back to her human form, wearing a pout on her face.

"I wasn't referring to you," he answered, and gestured at the cart. "I meant that."

"Oh," Sana said, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment. 

"That's not a problem," Momo stated. "It belongs to Lord Nakamoto, anyway. We can buy another one when we reach the other side." 

"Let's not lose any second then," Yoshinori replied, and he motioned for a few other men to help him move the supplies to the boat.

We went aboard the boat as soon as they finished loading it. The men who helped Yoshinori also came along to help him row. Sana, who was the most tired from our trip, laid her head on Momo's lap and closed her eyes, reasonably deciding she could use a nap. 

That also signified that I would have to sit on the back row alongside Mina, and instantly my heart accelerated. I looked away and pretended to be playing with the water as the two men began rowing the boat. Still, it wasn't enough to occupy my mind, because her familiar scent and evident proximity were hindering anything else I tried thinking about.

I acknowledged it was foolish to completely ignore her, but the fear of getting even more hurt was fueling me in this resolution. Mina wasn't making any effort to interact with me either; therefore, I concluded she seemingly decided it was best this way too. But I couldn't deny that I still missed her, even though she was right beside me.

Around 30 minutes had passed when I noticed large ripples forming in the water. I leaned on the edge of the boat to attempt a closer look but instantly moved back upon seeing something was about to surface. 

I screamed in fear and, out of instinct, jumped into Mina's arms when I saw a stupendous dinosaur-like creature emerging. Its green scales were covered in water, and yellow mirror-like eyes gazed at us.

"D-Do something!!" I yelled, shutting my eyes closed and hiding underneath Mina's chin, clinging tightly to her shoulders.

"It's not violent!" Mina answered, hovering her arms over me and seeming hesitant to actually touch me. 

"Tell that to the filmakers who created Godzilla," I shot back, refusing to look at the scaly amphibian beast.

"What even is a Godzilla?" Mina returned, sounding frustrated.

"That's a Honengyo," Momo explained while Sana rose from her lap, probably having awakened because of my outcry. "When they appear, it's usually a good omen." 

"That's right," Yoshinori said, and for the first time, I saw him smiling. "They are so rare that I've never seen one! But when they appear, it's said that the year will be bountiful!"

"I can't believe you cowered out so quickly after all of our training," Momo darted, leaving me ashamed.

I finally dared to look at the so-called Honengyo, and it had approached us even more. As I calmed down, I suddenly realized I was still holding onto Mina and abruptly let go, blushing hard and finding it scarier to look at her than at a monster big enough to cast a shadow over us. 

"My name is Ryūra," he announced with his voice strongly resonating. It sent shivers down my spine, even if I knew he wasn't a threat. "I intend you no harm."

"What brings you to the surface?" Sana asked, and I noticed his eyes were fixed on her. 

"It seems like I was mistaken," the monster affirmed. "I sensed the energy of a friend of mine, but now I understand that it wasn't him."

"Who?" Sana slowly asked, and I saw her claws digging into the wood of her seat.

"He is the one known as Ryoma," the Honengyo answered, and my eyes widened. "Are you his child? I can see him in you very clearly."

"He is my father," Sana confirmed, compressing her lips and staring at her lap.

"Do you have any idea where he is right now?" Mina questioned, and his eyes shifted to her.

"Ryoma was here a few weeks ago," Ryūra declared. "He was heading to Fujinomiya, so I can only assume that is his current location." 

The confirmation that we were on the right track relieved me. I felt closer than ever to our goal. It seemed like something feasible now, instead of a faraway illusion.

"We're currently searching for him," Momo spoke, placing her hand on Sana's shoulder and reassuringly stroking it. "Thank you for your help."

"I hope you'll accomplish your endeavor," he answered, nodding at us before slowly diving back into the water, prompting waves to drift the boat slightly away.

"Nobody will believe me when I tell them I met a Honengyo," Yoshinori said, finally seeming like someone his age. "But we should get going now," he added, beginning to row again.

"Nobody back home will believe me when I tell them all the absurd creatures I met here," I muttered against my breath.

We rowed for about an hour, and just as the mainland was starting to become visible again, we felt something violently bumping against the boat. Everyone became alert, and Mina placed her hand on the handle of her sword. It reminded me to draw my bow, and I shakily positioned an arrow, watching Momo do the same thing. 

"Everyone, watch out," Yoshinori warned, pulling out a small dagger. "We're being attacked by kappas."

A stench that smelled like a mixture of fish and blood permeated, and about six humanoid figures no larger than a child jumped on top of the boat. Their hands and feet were webbed, and they had turtle-like shells and beaks. All of them had different-colored skin, but they were all equally scaly.

Instinctively, I shot an arrow on the one closest to me, but the kappa I aimed for managed to dive back into the water before it got knocked out. Momo, however, who was a lot more capable than me, expertly shot two of them in a row, and they fell back into the water. Sana used her claws to slash one of them, while Mina quickly impaled one of them, and fiercely tossed it away.

But no matter how many kappas they were able to defeat, more of them kept plummeting on the boat. I successively hit a few but was unable to charge any of my arrows, feeling too tense to concentrate. How does Momo manage to do this so easily?!

As I prepared to draw another arrow, I felt slimy fingers seizing me from behind and pulling me inside the lake. I was shocked at how strong these creatures were considering their small size, but my astonishment was quickly replaced by panic because the kappa continued leading me deeper and deeper into the water. 

I tried gasping for air, but it made my head spin around, and every inch of my nose and lungs were burning as I tried expelling water in vain. I clutched harshly to the monster's scales, trying to pull it away from me, but I was vastly overpowered, and I felt it digging its claws into my skin.

"Empty your mind, and visualize only the reason of why you want to use that power," Momo's words echoed in my mind as I tightly shut down my eyes.

_ I want to live! _

_ I don't want to die here!  _

I felt a strong current of energy pulsating throughout my entire body, as fiercely as the blood than ran within my veins. Suddenly, the kappa's grasp on my seemed to lighten, and when I opened my eyes, I saw my hands covered in a brilliant white light that seemed to be blazing the creature's skin.

It let go of me entirely, and I watched as it frantically paddled away. I sought for breath, but there was nothing there, and in a last attempt to return to the surface, I tried flailing my arms. But all my senses were already becoming hazy, and I had no strength left.

The last thing I saw before blacking out was a red water dragon swimming in my direction.

* * *

I heard a woman's voice calling out my name, and as my sights adjusted to the light, I recognized my mother standing before me, with my father firmly by her side, holding to her shoulder. They both smiled lovingly at me, and it filled me with a nostalgic warmth. 

Even though I was unable to distinguish what they were saying, seeing them again caused happiness to overtake my whole being, and I rushed into their arms. They tightly embraced me, and it felt like I was home again after such a long time away.

"Mom… dad… I missed you guys so much," I muttered softly against my father's chest, lightly wetting his shirt with my tears. 

My misty eyes peered around, witnessing many of my beloved ones. Among family members, my Grandma stood out. She held a plate of my favorite homemade sweets. Jihyo and Jeongyeon, my childhood friends, were beaming as they waved at me. Jeongyeon even held my white pomeranian Kookeu in her arms.

Despite having all of the people I loved encompassing me again, there was still something painfully missing. Something I couldn't quite place as my orbs scrutinized the area. Or perhaps someone. 

"Nayeon!" I could vaguely hear a voice calling out for me. But they were nowhere to be seen. 

"Nayeon, wake up!" The voice repeated, this time, more powerfully, and I felt someone shaking my body. 

That's when I woke, pierced by a terrible pain in my lungs, along with a dangerous need to gag. My upper body rose on its own, and I involuntarily expelled water by coughing.

"Nayeon, you're alive!" I heard a teary voice squeak. It was Sana, and I realized I was surrounded by her, Momo and Mina. 

I was still short of breath and frantically panted to try inhaling as much air as I could. Slowly, my respiration seemed to normalize. 

"You really scared us back there," Momo stated, placing her hand on my arm and rubbing it.

When I looked at Mina, she was dead silent, but on her frightened orbs, I saw tears slowly streaming down. It was the first time I saw her crying, and she suddenly held me in her arms, gently as if she was afraid I would shatter. Her warmth instantly spread out through my body, making me recognize how I was freezing before.

It also provoked another realization. They were the ones missing in my dream, particularly Mina, and embracing her gave me the same feeling of home that I experienced around my beloved ones. I understood that it was useless trying to distance myself from her, for she was already a part of me.

"What happened?" I weakly asked when she let go of me. 

"I'm not sure how much you remember," Momo began explaining. "But we were attacked by kappas, and one of them attempted to drown you."

"Those pesky monsters are much more capable of damage underwater," Sana added, seeming angry. "So that's why the coward pulled you to the lake." 

"Mina was about to dive in to try helping you, but I stopped her," Momo continued, and the samurai looked away when my eyes landed on her. "She would easily be overpowered underwater. Instead, I asked Sana to transform into an aquatic creature to retrieve you." 

"Now that you mention it, I remember seeing a water dragon before fainting," I said. 

"That was me," Sana affirmed, nodding. "But when I found you, you were already freed from the kappa's grasp."

"Oh," I replied, and then my gaze shifted to Momo. "That's because I succeeded using spiritual power on it. When I charged my hands, it seemed to burn the kappa so it swam away."

"I knew you could do it," Momo said, proudly grinning at me and ruffling my hair, which made me lightly chuckle. "We're almost on the coast, hang in there."

"Maybe we should camp here tonight and contniue the trip to Fujinomiya tomorrow?" Sana asked, watching me with concern.

So, covered in a blanket to dry my soaked body, I watched the three of them set up a rudimentary tent as soon as Yoshinori dropped us off on land. Mina took over the night watch, and the rest of us tried getting some sleep inside. But despite feeling tired, I couldn't fall asleep at all.

As I stepped outside the shelter, the sound of my footsteps caused Mina to turn around, and I admired her lovely face showered by the moonlight, as she sat on the grass right before me. Her black eyes registered surprise in seeing me awake.

"You should be getting some rest," her soft voice was the only sound echoing through the silent night. 

"I couldn't sleep," I simply replied, moving closer to her and sitting by her side. 

The girl turned her face away, seeming to be observing the moon. This night, it stood in its full plenitude, dyed in a golden hue that mirrored the stars around it. It was a delicate beauty that was only outmatched by Mina's breathtaking side profile.

"Hey, Nayeon," Mina began speaking, her voice no lower than a whisper, so swaying that it provoked shivers on me.

"What is it?" I asked, my eyes unable to look away from her even if I tried. 

Mina suddenly looked at me, seeming hesitant, and even in the dark, I could tell she was glowing. "The moon is beautiful... isn't it?" She asked after what seemed like an eternity, but in reality, only a few seconds had passed. 

"Yeah, itt is..." I agreed, resting my head on her shoulder, holding back many other words I wanted to say to her.

For a while, only silence dominated, but never once it felt uncomfortable. They say that when two people truly understand each other, they can communicate without using words. 

Silence is the loudest form of love, and with Mina, it was always like that. 

"What is it like back in your world?" She suddenly asked, snapping me out of the daze. 

I was caught by surprise with her question and gave it some thought before responding, "My world is the same as yours, Mina... but at the same time, it's completely different. We have all sorts of technology you wouldn't be able to imagine, even your craziest dreams."

"Really? Like what, for instance?" She inquired, curiously gaping at me.

"Well, you've already seen my cellphone," I replied, giggling upon remembering how threatened she was by the small device. "Everything is powered by electricity, and it makes our life a whole lot easier. We can communicate with someone in the blink of an eye no matter where they are, and we even have airplanes, which are vehicles with wings that fly us all around the planet." 

Mina seemed fascinated, and even a little overwhelmed by all that I mentioned to her. "It sounds completely different," she concluded.

"It is... but you know what is the biggest difference between our worlds?" I asked, my orbs tightly stuck on hers. "It's you, Mina. No matter how much I search, I'll never be able to find someone like you."

As she peered at me, the other girl nearly gasped, her cheeks rosier than ever, and her eyes practically gleaming, illuminated only by the moonlight. "I-I... I was so scared to lose you today, Nayeon... I don't know what I'd do without you," she admitted, and I smoothly took her trembling hands in mine, intertwining them together. 

"Shhh... don't think about that," I whispered, drifting closer to her. "You have me now."

I watched her eyelids fluttering before shutting down, and that tingly sensation of butterflies dancing from my stomach all the way to my heart submerged me as I closed the distance between our lips.

It tasted like honey melting away, and an ocean of emotions washed over me — excitement, fear, yearning and sorrow. But more than anything else, love. 

Suddenly, a tang of saltiness invaded my mouth, and I drew back to find Mina's eyes shedding tears as they gently opened to gaze back into mine.


	9. Chapter 9

Fujinomiya stood on the lower hills of Mount Fuji, much like its name suggests. It was also conveniently a post town and had a lot of facilities were travelers could rest from their journey.

We arrived in the morning, and I suggested that we rest due to our trip's fatigue. But none of them agreed with me, all too anxious to find the one we've been looking for. And so was I, but at the same time, meeting Ryoma signified that my time with Mina would soon be coming to an end, and secretly I wanted to drag that out.

The status of our relationship was still ambiguous. However, we weren't dodging each other like earlier. Instead, now it seemed like we were ignoring our inevitable departure. We never talked about it, but at least our feelings weren't in the air anymore.

"If we're not stopping to take a break, what should be our first move then?" I asked, observing as the other three girls looked around the town. 

"I'm trying to sense Ryoma's energy," Momo replied, closing her eyes to improve her concentration. "Even though I never personally met him, it should be strong enough to stand out... but I can't feel anything."

I bit my lip, worried that he might have left this town already, and we'd have to start everything again. "Is it possible that he concealed his energy?" I asked.

"I doubt he'd do that," Sana answered, seeming as nervous as I was. "It's not like he knows we're after him."

"Don't worry," Mina suddenly said, grasping my hand. She smiled at me, but I was able to tell it was an unmistakenly sad one. "We'll find him."

I squeezed her hand, making sure she knew I didn't want her to let go, and we calmly roamed the bustling roads of Fujinomiya. The people were lively and warm, just like the weather, but unfortunately, not a single soul knew where we could find the void fox.

"Do you think he's still here, Mina?" I asked the samurai, who appeared to be rooted in thought.

"I don't know," she sincerely retorted after a while. "It's certainly odd how no one has seen him... but perhaps we're searching in the wrong place."

"What do you mean?" Sana asked, furrowing her eyebrows. 

"That guy Hoshi said that he heard from the priest himself that Ryoma was coming to this town," Mina replied. "We should go search in the shrine instead. They should have more knowledge about this."

After questioning a few more villagers, we were able to find the shrine. There was a tall staircase, much like the one in Kyoto, that led to the entrance. A young girl in a priestess outfit similar to Momo's was sweeping sand away to keep the floor clean when she noticed us. She had long dark hair tidied behind her ears and thin bangs that framed her face nicely. 

"Welcome," she greeted, surprised with our presence. "Can I help you with anything?" 

"Hello," Momo answered as we approached her. "We are travelers from Heian-Kyo, and we're searching for the void fox, Ryoma."

"We've been told he's in this town," Mina added, anxiously gaping at the priestess. "Can you confirm if it's true?"

"That is considerably far from here," she answered, widening her eyes. "But luckily, you aren't misinformed. Ryoma is currently meditating in the Shiraito Falls."

My heart started throbbing as soon as she confirmed that he was indeed near. It shouldn't be too long until we faced him, and my stress increased, as this encounter would determine so many things. 

According to the shrine maiden, it wasn't too far, so we returned to the hills, following the track leading to the waterfalls. Unlike the pleasant weather in the town, the mountain air was dense, and a murky haze surrounded us. It was considerably eerie, even though night hadn't befallen yet.

"I don't want to part ways with her," echoed a sinister voice that petrified me. "But this path means that Nayeon will return home, and I'll be left behind here." 

Abruptly, we all stopped walking, searching for the source of the sound. I moved closer to Mina watched her hand hovering the handle of her katana. Everyone seemed alert, but the samurai, in particular, seemed very disturbed, her wide eyes frantically wandering around.

From within the fog emerged an ape-like creature, although his face looked more human than primate. He had large, hypnotizing eyes like yellow whirlpools that felt uncomfortable to look at. 

"How do you know my name?!" I shouted, trying not to look directly into those creepy golden orbs. 

The monkey didn't say anything and instead pointed at Mina.

"He's a satori, Nayeon," Momo began explaining. "Satoris are yokai able to read people's minds. They are known for distracting travelers by repeating their thoughts aloud." 

So he was repeating Mina's thoughts? I glanced at her and immediately noticed she was blushing while glaring at the creature. Quickly, she unsheathed her weapon, but I held onto her sleeve.

"He doesn't seem violent, Mina," I tried reasoning. 

"He may not seem violent," Sana replied, exposing her claws. "But satori like to dine on humans. This one has poor judgment, though, seeing he is terribly overpowered."

"Okay, you can slice him then," I replied in disgust, letting go of Mina's sleeve. 

"You'll pay for exposing my thoughts," he repeated in the same monotone voice said.

Mina got even angrier and ran towards him, swiping her sword, but the monkey was surprisingly fast and climbed a nearby tree. "This is so shameful," he said, mirroring Mina's thoughts. 

"Mina, you should empty your mind," Momo advised. "That way, he'll grow bored and leave." 

But the samurai didn't seem to be listening, and this was one of the first times I saw her losing her cool. Again, it seemed like Mina hated having her true feelings exposed. She picked up a stone and strongly tossed it against the satori. "Stupid monkey! Stupid monkey!" It repeated before running away. 

"Or that works too, I suppose," Momo added, as it's haunting voice became just an echo in the distance.

I was glad that we didn't have to fight the satori, but Mina still looked incredibly distressed. In an attempt to comfort her, I gently held her hand and smiled reassuringly at her. She quickly looked away, seeming too embarrassed, but I just found it endearing. 

But I couldn't be distracted from our primary goal. Ryoma was closer to us than ever. The further we marched, the louder was the potent sound of water cascading from a slope. My hands felt clammy, and my breathing was irregular.

Enveloped by luscious green foliage was a cascade broad enough to resemble a great wall. Thundering water dripped off the edge of a rock in shallow currents, and in the center, a figure with bright red hair tied in a long ponytail stood out against the white stream.

"It's him...!" Sana whispered, gawking at the man. 

He looked a lot younger than I expected, no older than 30. I immediately recognized Sana's features in him, apart from the fox ears. Instead, he had pointy, human-like ears and a purple diamond-shaped marking on his forehead. His eyes opened, revealing the same golden color present in his daughter's irises.

"I've been waiting for you," he said, with a voice as soft as velvet that had a soothing aspect.

"So you know who I am?" Sana retorted, her voice dangerously calm, but I could see her hands shaking.

"Yes," Ryoma answered as he stood to leave the heart of the waterfall. His eyes looked pained as he walked towards us. "You are my daughter, Sana."

Sana stared at him for a few instants before replying, "What do you mean you were waiting for us?" 

"I sensed your presence on the moment you stepped on this town," Ryoma said, seeming hesitant to approach her more. "You look so much like your mother."

"I wouldn't know," Sana sourly replied as tears uncontrollably streamed down her face. "I have no idea of her appearance... just as I had no idea of yours until now. I bet it hurts, huh? Looking at me and remembering the woman you loved."

"It does hurt," Ryoma answered, "But not because of that... it hurts because I left you and was too much of a coward to come back."

"Why did you leave me?!" Sana shot back at him, and Momo started rubbing her arm to comfort her. "Did you find me responsible for what happened? So much that you couldn't bear to be around me?!"

"That's not true, Sana... never once I found you responsible for what happened," Ryoma answered, shaking his head. "I felt guilty for what happened, and more than anything else, I was broken. You deserved better. You deserved to be raised by someone who was whole and could give you all the love you needed. I knew I'd be a terrible father, and so I left you with the Hirais."

"Well, you're right about that," Sana sarcastically laughed, throwing her hands in the air. "You're a shitty father. But Momo and her family have been amazing to me... they treated me like I was their own," she added, shifting her gaze to Momo, who nodded and smiled encouragingly at her."

"I knew I made the right decision when I trusted them with you," Ryoma replied, seeming a bit relieved, but his eyes still looked tortured. 

"The right decision? Do you have any idea how guilty I felt during all these years?!" Sana snapped back at him. "You made me feel like I murdered my own mother!"

The man sighed and closed his eyes. "I know that I'll never be able to repair what I did to you — all those years of pain and guilt. I'm truly sorry, Sana... I understand if you'll never forgive me and if you hate me. But you never left my mind even one day, and I want you to know that I love you."

At this point, Sana was sobbing and shaking her head, while Momo gently held her in her arms to support her. "I-I think it's a little bit late for that now," she answered, in between cries. "But I'm not the reason we came after you," Sana added, gesturing at me. 

Ryoma's attention shifted to me and my heart commenced pounding harder. His presence was remarkably intimidating and I was afraid my offense would upset him. 

"Ah, yes... I sensed Inari's presence in you," he spoke, and I had no idea what that meant. "What happened, child?" 

I explained to him everything that happened from the moment I first set foot in the shrine in Kyoto until now. He didn’t seem surprised, or upset, which was somewhat comforting to see. 

“I understand,” was all he said at first. “The reason why I sensed Inari’s energy in you is because the instant that statue broke, the protection power I had placed in it sought for another body to stay, and that happened to be you.” 

I blinked a few times, trying to comprehend what he just said. “So... that power lies in me now?” I asked, dumbfounded. 

“That is correct. But you don’t have to worry,” he reassured. “I’ll return to the capital with all of you and will transfer the power back to the statue. After that, you will be able to return to your own time.” 

A wave of relief washed over me upon the confirmation that I would be able to return to the 21st century. But when my eyes shifted to Mina, a feeling of insurmountable sorrow gave way. It seemed that I would have to give up on her in order to return to the place I called home. But I just couldn’t accept that. Not without at least trying something.

"Come with me," I blurted out without giving it a second thought, walking towards Mina. 

Her eyes widened in shock, and she seemed to be at a loss for words for a few instants before answering, "I-I can't!"

"Yes, you can!" I replied, smiling at her and taking hold of both her hands. "You have a choice, Mina. I know you feel like you're stuck with the fate you were born with, but that is not true." I gently caressed her palms, looking into her eyes and ignoring everyone else who watched the scene. "I love you, and I want to be with you. I know you want the same."

"Nayeon, I can't," Mina repeated, her hands trembling. "I can't just leave Nako behind... and I-I... I have duties with my family," she bit her lip, seeming a bit hesitant before adding, "I'm supposed to marry the firstborn of an allied clan." 

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, abruptly letting go of her hands to coldly fire back, "So what you're saying is... you want to stay here to marry some man you don't even have feelings for?"

"No! That's not what I said!" She vehemently retorted, her voice beginning to sound dangerous. "Don't twist my words and conveniently ignore everything else I said! I'm staying because I have obligations with the people here! It's easy for you to just ask me to leave everything I know behind, but not even once did you put yourself in my place!"

"I just want you to be happy!" I exclaimed, shaking my head in disbelief. "I'm sorry if I can't understand why you'd rather stay here to fight in a pointless war instead!"

"If you can't understand that, then I guess you never understood me in the first place," Mina said, her voice as cold as ice. 

"Perhaps not," I answered, trying to hold back tears. "I hope you're happy here, Mina, fighting a war and marrying someone you don't even know, all for a man who doesn't care enough for you to let you make your own choices. Do you think that's what your mother would want for you?"

Upon the mention of her mother, Mina's face showed nothing but shock, and she struggled to say anything in return. But I couldn't stay there anymore, still upset about how everything turned out so wrong. Maybe I was being egotistical, but not as much as her father, for whom she seemed to be doing all of this. Without looking back, I stormed off into the mountains.


	10. Chapter 10

The road back to Kyoto was far briefer than the entire journey that it took after leaving the capital. That's because there was no journey at all. Ryoma was able to transport us there in the blink of an eye, which was something he could easily do but didn't resort to often because he enjoyed traveling.

The void fox had decided to stay in the capital to try rekindling his bond with Sana. I was unsure if he would be able to make it up for her, for she was too hurt. But dearly in my heart, I wished that they would slowly be able to see each other as father and daughter again.

I still had a few hours left in the 15th century, as Ryoma was preparing the statue to receive Inari's power again, assisted by Momo.

I hadn't talked to Mina ever since our fight. She had already returned to the imperial palace, while I stayed at the shrine with the others. It was still hard to believe that this would be our demise. 

I was never hopeful about the possibility of a happy ending for us, but I thought we'd at least part ways in amicable terms. Now, it seemed like we wouldn't even say goodbye to each other, and it felt like my heart was shattered on the floor, like an unsolved puzzle.

"Hey, cheer up," Sana sweetly pleaded, looking at me with a sad smile. "You're going back home. You're supposed to be happy!" 

I returned her smile, feeling thankful at her effort to comfort me. "Right now everything feels bittersweet," I admitted, clearing a single tear that insisted on falling. "On one side, I am delighted to return home. It's the place I truly belong... but I'm going to miss all of you so much. You guys truly became my family here."

She sighed and embraced me, gently caressing my back. "Aw... we're all going to miss you too, Nayeon," she said, and from her voice, I could tell that she was also crying.

"Thank you for everything you did for me," I returned, holding tightly onto her. "I would be lost without all of you." 

She pulled away and kindly wiped my tears away, biting her lip before saying, "Are you sure you don't want to talk to Mina before leaving? It just feels wrong for the two of you to say goodbye like this." 

"I don't think she wants to see me, Sana," I sincerely replied, clutching tightly to my heart. "Her life would be a lot easier if I never showed up." 

"You know that's not true!" Sana exclaimed, putting her hands on my shoulder. "I've never seen Mina this happy, and it's all because of you. You made such a difference in her life, Nayeon." 

"Even if that is true, what difference does it make now?" I shot back in frustration. "I'm leaving, Sana. And she's staying here... Momo was right, we should never have gotten so attached... but I couldn't help it, and now we have to pay the price."

"But you two love each other," she sadly responded, seeming dejected. "Maybe she'll change her mind... give her a chance, Nayeon."

Deciding to listen to Sana's advice, I made my way to the palace. I didn't even know what I would say to Mina, but in the end, it didn't matter, because I wasn't able to find her anywhere. 

"I guess it just wasn't meant to be," I mumbled, kicking a few pebbles in the garden. 

"Nayeon!" I suddenly heard a voice and was greeted with someone hugging me from behind. Someone rather short. 

"Nako!" I replied, turning back to look at the young princess who beamed happily at me. 

"Why didn't you come to see me?!" She asked with a sulky expression. "Were you going to leave without saying goodbye to me?"

"I-I'm sorry, Nako," I replied, feeling bad for not even thinking about coming to see her. I was so distracted by everything else that I didn't even think of that, so I gently patted her head. "I… well, I got into an argument with Mina, so she returned to the palace alone." 

"Really?"Nako returned, sounding dejected. "So that's why Mina was acting so weird."

"Yeah, probably," I spoke, biting my lip. "Do you know where she is?" 

"She's not here right now. I think she said something about seeing her father," Nako answered. "But don't worry! I'll smack some sense into her when she returns!" 

"Thank you, Nako," I gratefully replied, hugging the innocent girl.

Unable to meet Mina, I returned to the shrine. Upon walking inside, I could finally see the statue that caused all of this to happen, and I wasn't surprised to find out it was a fox. 

The time to return home was closer than ever, and the feeling was indescribable. I watched Sana and Momo looking at me, and knowing that this was the last time I would see them caused my heart to ache. I rushed to their arms and embraced them.

"I'm going to miss you two!" I cried, trying to transmit how grateful I was by tightly hugging them. 

"All you have to do is destroy that statue again if you ever want to see us," Sana joked, but her eyes were as watery as mine. 

"Sana!" Momo warned, but ended up laughing a bit. 

"I learned my lesson, and will be more careful around holy objects now!" I replied, looking carefully at Ryoma, who waited for me beside the fox statue. 

I hesitantly let go of my friends and walked towards him. "Are you ready to return home?" He asked, a small smile on his solemn face. 

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be," I replied truthfully, my hands slightly trembling.

Ryoma placed his hand on top of my head. I closed my eyes, experiencing a weird sensation as if a current of energy was being removed from me. The kitsune moved his hand away from me and placed it in the statue, making it glow alight with the same brilliant color I grew used to. 

"When you're ready to go, all you have to do is touch the statue," he explained. 

I gazed at Momo and Sana for the last time, smiling and trying to memorize them in my heart. Taking a deep breath, I watched the statue before me. All of this started with it, and now it'll end as well. I extended my hand, ready to touch it. 

"Wait!" Echoed a voice that was already too familiar to me. A voice that sent my heart aflame. 

It was Mina, storming inside the temple with Nako beside her. She panted heavily, and I blinked to make sure this wasn't an illusion. Did she change her mind? Perhaps she wanted to say goodbye to me after all.

"W-Wait," she repeated, bending her body to try catching some air, and then approaching me. "Please don't live, N-Nayeon... I don't think I can live without you anymore."

Nako rushed to my side and clung to my sleeve, saying, "Mina told me everything that happened, Nayeon. She's been such an idiot, but I was able to convince her." 

Mina blushed, and the closer she walked to me, the stronger my heart pounded. 

"I hate to admit it, but her highness is right," Mina said, pleadingly looking into my eyes as she gently cupped my face. "I've been such an idiot, Nayeon. You were right. My happiness is more important. You are more important, you made these months happier than my entire life has been. My father wants me to marry a man I don't love... he doesn't care about me, but you do... and I... I choose you."

I threw myself into her arms, hugging her tightly, and all of my fears were slowly dissipating. It was hard to believe this was happening, but I embraced the idea of a paradise with her. 

"Will you take me back?" She softly whispered, wrapping her arms around me. 

It felt like I was melting, and I quickly answered, "Of course, you idiot... I love you, and I want nothing more than to be with you."

"I hope you're willing to accept me too," Nako suddenly said, and I pulled away from Mina to look at her, clearly confused. 

"What do you mean?" I asked, unsure if I understood what she was implying, I then looked at Mina for reassurance. 

"I... I know it sounds crazy, but I can't just leave Nako behind," Mina began explaining, gauging for my reaction. 

"Please let me go too, Nayeon!" Nako pleaded, her orbs nearly crying out. "I hate it here, I hate being a princess... I hate not having freedom, and I hate the idea of being away from Mina. So I begged her to take me along." 

I couldn't help but smile at the young girl and pushed her towards us is an embrace. "If you two are a combo package, then, of course, I'm willing to take it." 

"What's a combo package?" Nako asked, furrowing her eyebrows in bewilderment.

"You'll learn about it when you go to the 21st century with me!" I replied, laughing at her confusion.

"So I'm going with you?!" Nako excitedly asked, seeming happier than I've ever seen her. 

I nodded, watching as Sana and Momo approached us, and Mina turned around to face them. 

"So you're sure about this, Mina?" Momo asked, gazing at her childhood friend. "I'm gonna miss you, but I want you to be happy, so you have my support." 

Mina suddenly pulled her friend in an embrace, hugging her tightly. "I've never been so sure about anything... I gave this a lot of thought, Momo. And after witnessing my father's indifference towards me, I made my decision," she explained. 

"I'm happy for you then," Momo replied, beaming as she shed a few tears. "If anyone asks, I'll say that I have no idea where the young princess and her retainer disappeared to."

"Surely it'll be chaos," Sana said, giggling in a high pitch and embracing Mina to say goodbye. "I'm proud of you for this, Mina. You should be able to make your own decisions." 

"Thank you, Sana... and thank you, Momo," Mina said gratefully. "We should be going now before they realize Nako is missing." 

Mina held my hand, and with the other one, she grasped Nako's. We bid farewell to our loyal friends, making sure we would never forget about them and all they did for us. 

At last, I touched the statue, ready for what the future would bring. A tingly sensation took over, and everything became enveloped in a radiant light until we were shrouded by darkness. 

The familiar sound of heavy rain hitting a rooftop pierced my ears, and I immediately recognized where I was. It was the same place that prompted my journey to the 15th century, but now, everything had changed. 

And that difference could only be explained by the people that were by my side. In particular, the girl who at first seemed as far away as the ages I traveled, but who stole my heart the closer I got to her. 

I dragged her outside, and she seemed hesitant because of the rain, so she left Nako under shelter. But on the moment she could see my beaming face overflowing joy, her anxious expression transformed into my favorite gummy smile. 

The rainstorm left us drenched, but I couldn't care less. It was this same downpour that allowed me to meet Mina, and as I passionately kissed her underwater, I made a mental note to never buy an umbrella.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if the ending seems a bit rushed. That's because I admittedly had to rush it, otherwise I wouldn't meet the deadline. Anyway, thank you for everyone who read this story!


End file.
